The government cannot continue to claim that Ireland provides free education while parents are being forced to spend hundreds, in some cases thousands, of euros just to ensure their children can attend school, according to Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins.
The Dublin South Central TD said “every year we hear Ministers boast about investment in education, yet every August parents are left wondering how they are going to afford another school year. The reality for too many families is that ‘free education’ comes with an enormous price tag.”
The Soc Dems education spokesperson said that research from Barnardos “paints a worrying picture,” with the research showing that parents of second-level students are now spending an average of more than €1,100 to prepare their child for school, with digital devices alone costing an average of €447.
Some families reported being asked to spend as much as €850 on a single device.
Cummins said, “these are staggering figures at a time when households are already struggling with the cost of living.”
“I am particularly concerned by reports that some schools are directing parents towards specific suppliers, leaving them with no opportunity to shop around or use devices they already own. That is simply unacceptable. Technology should be helping children learn, not becoming another financial barrier to education.”
Cummins noted, “while measures like the free schoolbooks scheme have made a real difference for many primary and secondary school families, they are increasingly being undermined by growing costs elsewhere.”
She said “the government cannot ignore these new pressures. The savings families have seen through the schoolbooks scheme are quickly being swallowed up by expensive uniforms, voluntary contributions, extracurricular costs and now digital devices; the government must now take decisive action to reduce the financial burden on families.”
“The Social Democrats have consistently argued that education should be genuinely free. That means introducing mandatory affordable uniform policies, banning voluntary contributions, expanding eligibility for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, and addressing the spiralling cost of digital devices.
“We also need proper investment in school ICT infrastructure so parents are not expected to fund essential learning equipment themselves. There must be an increase in school capitation so schools do not rely on asking for ‘voluntary’ contributions.
“No parent should have to face the uncertainty of if they can afford to send their child to school. This report from Barnardos came the same day as reports that sending a young person to third level can cost €16,159.
“Families can have children across primary, secondary and third level all at the same time. If this Government is serious about equality of opportunity, then it must stop shifting the cost of education onto parents and start treating access to education as the public good it is.”