State Funding Corrupts Catholic Schools

The Pillar reports on a controversy at a Salesian school in Manique, Cascais, Portugal, where students attending under state-subsidized “association contracts” receive lower-quality cafeteria food than fee-paying students. The school blames insufficient government funding and regulatory restrictions, while critics accuse it of discrimination and the education minister suggests reconsidering the mixed system. The article frames the issue as a logistical and funding problem, downplaying the fundamental incompatibility of Catholic education with state control and secular financial frameworks.