In the days ahead hundreds of thousands of Irish homes will be buzzing with back to school activity with many parents quietly wondering how they will make ends meet once the cost of uniforms, shoes, books, stationery, school bags, sports equipment, extra-curricular activities, the so-called voluntary contributions and all the rest are taken care of.
Almost three-quarters of secondary school parents and half of those with children in primary school are concerned about covering costs, a recent survey from children’s charity Barnardos suggests. That survey echoes an earlier report from the Irish League of Credit Unions which put the total back-to-school spend this year at €1,086 per child for primary school parents and €1,401 per child for secondary school parents.
While it would be churlish not to acknowledge measures rolled out by the Government over the last two years that have eased the pressure on parents – most notably free books for primary school children and free hot meals across many schools – it must equally be acknowledged that more is needed if the constitutional promise of a genuinely free education for Irish children is to be honoured almost 60 years after it was made by the then minister for education Donogh O’Malley.
The steps that must be taken have been clear for years. The introduction of mandatory book rental schemes across all secondary schools should happen as a matter of urgency while schools that insist on uniforms must shift to low cost generic options instead of high-priced bespoke clothes, a move which would save many parents hundreds of euro each year.
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Voluntary contributions remain problematic with around 80 per cent of schools seeking donations, sometimes of well in excess of €100. Most parents say the requests do not feel voluntary.
It is easy to blame the schools for going cap in hand to parents but few have a choice and need the money to keep the lights on, often literally. An increase in capitation rates is warranted as a budget priority to reduce the need for schools to tap parents to pay for necessities.