Three leading charities, Barnardos, the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) and the National Parents Council say they have called on the Minister for Education, Norma Foley, to initiate an independent review of the cost of running state education schools across the different school types.
In a letter sent to the Minister the three organisations have asked for a meeting in advance of the upcoming budget and her final period in the current Government, to discuss their recommendation.
The three organisations share their concerns of underfunding in education at a time when the latest OECD report states that Ireland spends the least on education when compared with the 33 other OECD countries.
The letter said that until there is a deeper understanding and better transparency on the actual cost of running state education their funding structure will continue to be inadequate, particularly for those schools whose pupils’ family financial lives are difficult.
“ The current situation is leaving parents who cannot afford it to fill the income gap in our state schools, and also leaves children and young people to continue to experience inequality in the very system that is supposed to be their pathway out of poverty and to successful lives.”
The letter went on to say, “It is with our united aim and commitment to identifying the root causes of inequality in education and developing solutions that lead to improvements to the lives of the children and families we support, and therefore the whole of society.
“We are committed to identifying the root causes of poverty and developing solutions that lead to improvements in the lives of the people we each assist.”
It concluded by saying “We understand that difficult decisions are being made on all levels of education and government, but we must be the collective voice for children and families who are struggling to keep up with the cost of education and seek out solutions.”