Question of the Day!

Here in Ireland, many of our schools were originally established by the various churches and later 'handed over' to the state to be managed and - crucially - financed as part of a more cohesive system. However, these transfers were invariably subject to individual contracts where the Church retained rights on representation on Boards of Governors and pastoral visits during which local clergy would promulgate religious instruction. Over time though, much of this has been eroded, largely in response to 'client pressure', aka parents, and today's system is de facto secular.