Catholic schools crisis ‘matter for Cabinet’

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 16

Catholic schools crisis ‘matter for Cabinet’

PA Wellington The Minister of Education, Mr Marshall, would not specify solutions to the financial crisis facing integrated Catholic schools after he met Catholic authorities. Mr Marshall said he and an Associate Minister of Finance, Mr Caygill, would draft a proposal in conjunction with the Catholic education

authorities to take to the Cabinet in two to three weeks. He said no decision had been made at the meeting with a Church delegation headed by His Eminence Cardinal Williams and any suggested solution would be “very complex.” Mr Marshall would not be drawn on whether the Government would have to spend more money to bail out the hard-up schools. “It depends where you hold the mirrors,” he said. “You will just have to wait and see.” The problem facing the 249 integrated Catholic ’ schools is the unexpectedly high cost of improving them to State school standard, one of the conditions of integration. Estimated in 1975 to cost about $29 million, the upgrading cost is now well over $lOO million. The State is providing low-interest loans for 90 per cent of the work, an increase from the 66 per cent provided by the National government in 1983. However, even with that assistance the Church is unable to meet the costs. The executive director

of the Catholic Education Office, Mr Pat Hoult, said he hoped any solution reached now would solve the problem once and for all. He said he was certain the Government did not want to close Catholic schools or put them out of business and he was confident a solution could be found. However, Mr Marshall warned that the final decision rested with the Cabinet and it was unwise to be too optimistic.