Talks on Catholic schools

Press, 19 April 1986, Page 8

Talks on Catholic schools

PA Wellington Top Catholic authorities will meet the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall, next week in a further bid to find a solution to the financial crisis facing the integrated Catholic schools. The Church is having difficulties paying for its' school building programme and has called a halt to all building until the problem is solved. Improvement of Catholic schools to State school standard was one condition of integration, in return for which the State pays all salaries, equipment and maintenance costs. However, the cost of improving the 249 schools, estimated at the time of integration to be about

$3O million, has risen to more than $lOO million. The Housing Corporation is providing loans for 90 per cent of the work, at 8 per cent interest, but the Church is unable to meet costs. That leaves it with the options of putting up school fees, or either amalgamating schools or handing them over to the State, none of which the Church wants to do. A delegation led by Cardinal Tom Williams will meet Mr Marshall on Tuesday to discuss the problem. It comes after a similar meeting in February. Mr Marshall said this week that they would look at various suggestions. He said he could understand the Church’s reluctance to increase fees as it ran counter to both

traditional Labour Party and Catholic philosophy that everyone should have equal access to education. However, the Government had a problem of

whether it could provide more money. “But I think we have found one or two solutions which might ease things,” he said.