Government must scrap exam fees and ease pressure on families
Government must scrap exam fees and ease pressure on families - The Labour Party
- Families already under severe pressure from the cost of living crisis
- Labour has fully costed the measure in its Alternative Budget 2026
Labour education spokesperson Deputy Eoghan Kenny has called on Government to scrap State exam fees entirely and warned that bringing them back this year for the first time since the Covid pandemic will place an unnecessary burden on families already struggling with the cost of living crisis.
Deputy Kenny said:
“Government is preparing to bring back exam fees this year for the first time since Covid, and families right across the country are now facing another bill at a time when they are already stretched to the limit. The cost of living crisis continues to hit ordinary working families hard. Between rising rents, groceries and energy bills, parents are already doing everything they can to support their children through school.
“For students preparing for the Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle, this is already one of the most stressful periods of their lives. The last thing they need is the added pressure of exam fees hanging over their heads. Education should be about opportunity and fairness. It should never depend on whether a family can afford another charge.
“For several years these fees were suspended and the sky did not fall in. Students sat their exams, schools functioned as normal and families received some relief during an incredibly difficult time. There is simply no justification for bringing them back now.
“Labour has been clear that exam fees should be abolished entirely. We have already set out how this can be done and fully costed the measure in our Alternative Budget 2026. Scrapping these fees is a practical step Government could take right now to ease pressure on households.”