Labour demands action on the growing digital divide and hidden school costs

Eoghan Kenny

10 July 2026

Labour demands action on the growing digital divide and hidden school costs - The Labour Party

• Labour to use Dáil time on Wednesday 15 July at 10am to force action on the growing digital divide and soaring back to school costs.
• Labour is calling for enforceable rules on school laptop requirements, the restoration of the ICT Grant and a national device loan scheme

Labour Education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has accused Government of allowing a new digital divide to take hold in Irish schools, warning that families are being priced out of education by a growing list of hidden back to school costs. As Labour brings a Dáil motion on Wednesday (15 July), Deputy Kenny will call for urgent action to stop schools passing the cost of essential digital devices onto parents.

Deputy Kenny said:

“While children are enjoying their summer holidays, thousands of parents are already worrying about how they will afford the cost of sending them back to school. Government cannot claim to believe in equal opportunities while allowing a child’s education to depend on whether their parents can afford a €430 laptop. That is exactly what is happening in schools across Ireland today. Families are being told education is becoming more affordable, but the reality is that one set of costs has simply been replaced by another.

“Research from the ESRI and the University of Limerick shows that three in ten secondary schools require students to have their own digital device. Barnardos found the average cost has jumped to €430, while St Vincent de Paul has received almost 3,000 requests for help with educational technology. The digital divide is no longer a future challenge. It is happening in classrooms across Ireland today, and Government is allowing it to deepen.

“Government will point to the expansion of hot school meals and the Free Schoolbooks Scheme, and Labour has welcomed both measures. But those gains are increasingly being cancelled out by a growing list of costs. Parents are still paying school transport charges, State Examination Fees, so-called ‘voluntary contributions’ and, increasingly, hundreds of euro for laptops and tablets that have become essential for classroom learning. Families are being squeezed from every direction. If Government is serious about making education genuinely free, it cannot ignore the growing financial pressure that parents face every September.

“Labour is putting forward practical measures that will make an immediate difference. In on Dáil motion next week, we want enforceable rules so schools cannot effectively force parents to buy expensive devices, the restoration of the ICT grant to at least €50 million, a national loan scheme for laptops and tablets, the abolition of State Examination Fees, lower school transport charges, properly funded schools and an end to branded uniforms.

“This is about the kind of education system we want. Government has a choice to make when this motion comes before the Dáil. I am calling on TDs from every party to back Labour’s motion. We can’t continue to ignore the growing inequality in our classrooms.”

Motion re: Digital Divide and Back to School Costs

That Dáil Éireann –

notes that:

• research by the ESRI and the University of Limerick from a survey of more than 720 post-primary schools showed that more than three in ten mandated the purchase of digital devices, including 17% of DEIS schools, and that there is a risk of growing inequalities in the education system;
• the Barnardos Back to School 2025 survey report showed the average cost of digital devices for second level schools has reached €430, up from €121 in 2022;
• since 2015 SVP has received nearly 3,000 requests for assistance with educational digital devices;
• savings to parents from the Free Book scheme are now being undermined by requests for mandatory ICT equipment that is more and more essential for school work;
• the ICT Grant for schools was cut by €15m, to €35m in 2025, remained at €35m in 2026 and there is no dedicated funding for repair or maintenance;
• manufactures have warned that the shortage of memory chips will lead to significant price increases for laptops and tablets;

further notes on school costs that:

• The Zurich 2026 Cost of Education survey shows an annual cost to parents of €1,794 for primary school and €2,928 for secondary school, and that the number of parents taking out loans to help with costs doubled from 2025 to 2026;
• Budget 2026 discontinued the two double child benefit payments, removed energy credits, the €400 once off working family payment, and the once off family support €100 lump sum per qualifying child;
• State Examination Fees have been reimposed on Junior and Leaving Certificate students;
• School Transport Fees have increased to €100 per child with the family cap increasing by €95 to €220, the fee for primary school children doubled from €50, and increased by a third, €25, for post-primary students;
• the increased cost of energy, insurance, waste and other essential services are not being met from the capitation grant leaving schools reliant on voluntary donations;
• at least 47 schools have been referred to the Financial Support Services Unit of the Department of Education in the 2025/2026 school year, due to rising costs, an increase of 38% on last year;
• the Back to School Clothing and Footwear allowance has been extended to 2 and 3 year olds but the €100 cut in the rate in 2024 has never been restored, and the income thresholds remain very restrictive;
• parents are provided with no support for other substantial costs including mock exam and correction fees, school trips and tours, after-school and summer extracurricular activities and camps, and students in transition year have additional expenses above normal year to year costs;
• the 2017 circular on affordable uniforms is not being enforced, with large numbers still using crested or branded uniforms rather than generic uniform items;

recalls that:

• the Minister has written to all schools noting that they cannot make it mandatory for pupils to purchase laptops or tablets but there is no enforcement of this guidance;
• there is still no ban on voluntary contributions forcing parents to have to fund essential school activities;
• the introduction of new curriculums for Leaving Certificate subjects has imposed further extra costs on post-primary schools;

calls on the government to:

• address the growing inequality from the digital divide and ensure all children have access to digital technology in school at no additional cost to parents;
• introduce enforceable guidelines for schools on the requirement for laptops and tablets in school work that protects families from the costs of having to buy digital equipment;
• restore the school ICT grant to at least €50 million, and ensure there is a separate stream of funding for the maintenance and repair of equipment;
• ensure students have access to a national loan scheme when laptops or tablets are required for school project work;
• remove State Examination Fees, and reverse the increases to School Transport Fees;
• restore the €100 cut to the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and expand income thresholds to increase eligibility and ensure more working families qualify;
• ban voluntary contributions and ensure that school capitation rates are increased in Budget 2027 to meet the actual costs of running a school;
• mandate schools to use non-branded uniform clothing and ensure that parents have a choice of supplier to ensure competition on costs.

Eoghan Kenny, Mark Wall, Ciarán Ahern, Ivana Bacik, Alan Kelly, George Lawlor, Ged Nash, Robert O’Donoghue, Conor Sheehan, Marie Sherlock, Duncan Smith.