PRIVATE schools across the country have increased their fees for the coming academic year as unprecedented government cutbacks take their toll.

Some schools are charging parents as much as €1,000 extra to offset what they say are government cuts in grants.

A number of schools surveyed by the Sunday Tribune have raised the costs in a move that is likely to further anger parents, many of whom are already struggling to give their children a private education.

If the government implements a proposal in last week's An Bord Snip Nua report to cut funding to private schools by €25m then fees are likely to increase even further.

The parents of students who board on a full-time basis will be hardest hit this September with prices set to increase by between 2% and 9%, despite the economy actually deflating.

Rockwell College in Tipperary has asked parents for a further €1,090, an overall increase of 9%. The school's website says that it is "one of Ireland's premier boarding schools" and has over 500 pupils.

Also registering a huge rise is St Columba's College in Dublin. Last year the fee was €20,895 and will now rise to €21,315. Bursar for the college Sally Gibbs has said the school has tried to keep the increase at an "absolute minimum".

The cost of putting a student through a fee-paying education as a boarder now ranges from between €3,000 to a massive €22,000 per year. For a day student it will now range from €3,000 to €7,000.

Wesley College in Dublin has shown one of the smallest increases in its demands for the next academic year, raising day-student fees by €90 and boarder fees by €190.

Administrator for the college Kevin McGarry says it had "no alternative after grants usually supplied every year to the college were pulled mid-year".

"This was only implemented after a stringent review and we are very conscious of the pressure that is already on parents, but our cost bases have unilaterally increased while support from the government has been culled," he said.

This is the second year running that schools have taken this action, with similar hikes put in place last year. It is estimated over ¤110m was spent by parents on private schools last year alone, with this year's figure set to rise again.

The Department of Education announced last year that the total amount of state subvention to private schools would be cut from €100m to €90m, and it is thought this is a contributing factor to the rise in fees. Private schools remain adamant, however, that they are not seeing a fall in enrolments.

According to a spokeswoman for the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), "The most likely reason for the increase is the education cutbacks which have affected all second-level schools.

"In an ASTI survey of non-fee-paying schools carried out in March, 75% of schools surveyed said they would be forced to increase their voluntary contributions from parents due to funding deficits caused by the education cutbacks announced in last October's budget."

Meanwhile, non-fee-paying schools are anticipating one of the worst financial years ever as cutbacks kick in to book lists, transport costs and grant reductions. Principal of the country's largest secondary school Gorey Community School, Nicholas Sweetman, has previously said he anticipates drop-outs as financial burdens weigh down on less well-off families.