Labour calls on Government to take action and make education genuinely free
Labour calls on Government to take action and make education genuinely free - The Labour Party
Labour Education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has today brought a Labour motion before the Dáil calling for urgent action to tackle the soaring cost of education and the growing digital divide in schools. Labour is calling on Government to introduce enforceable national rules on digital device requirements, restore the ICT Grant, establish a national device loan scheme, reverse increased transport and State examination fees, restore the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, properly fund schools and give parents genuine choice when purchasing school uniforms.
Deputy Kenny said:
“Across Ireland, parents are sitting at kitchen tables trying to work out how they are going to pay for another school year. For far too many families, the excitement of returning to school has been replaced by financial anxiety. Increasingly, parents are being forced into debt simply to educate their children. In one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, that should shame every one of us.
“Education should be the great equaliser. It should give every child the opportunity to achieve their potential, regardless of where they come from or what their parents earn. That principle has always been central to Labour’s vision for education. Niamh Bhreathnach removed barriers to learning because she understood that Government should expand opportunity, not restrict it. Today, those barriers have changed, but the principle remains exactly the same.
“Technology is now an essential part of education, but access to technology cannot depend on whether a family can find another €430 before the school term begins. Research shows that almost three in ten secondary schools now require students to purchase digital devices, including almost one in five DEIS schools. At the same time, St Vincent de Paul has received almost 3,000 requests for help with educational devices. Behind every one of those requests is a family making impossible choices.
“As a former teacher, I have seen first-hand the impact that financial pressure has on students and parents. Teachers do everything they can to support children, but they should never be expected to compensate for Government failure. This is no longer simply a digital divide. It has become an educational divide, where access to learning increasingly depends on family income.
“We welcomed the Free Books Scheme because it has made a real difference, but families experience the full cost of education, not individual Government announcements. Free books do not cover laptops, transport costs, examination fees, voluntary contributions or school uniforms. At precisely the moment schools became more dependent on technology, Government cut the ICT Grant by €15 million. Schools are now expected to deliver modern education with inadequate resources, while parents are left to cover the shortfall.
“This debate comes down to one simple question. Do we want an education system where every child has the same opportunity to succeed, or one where opportunity increasingly depends on what their parents can afford? Education should be the ladder that lifts children out of disadvantage, not another bill that pushes families further into it. Education should open doors, not overdrafts.
“Government did not oppose Labour’s motion in the Dáil today, but families need to see action now. That means introducing enforceable rules so schools cannot pass the cost of essential digital devices onto families, restoring the ICT Grant to at least €50 million, establishing a national device loan scheme, reversing increased transport and State examination fees, restoring the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and properly funding our schools. Government has accepted there is a problem. Government must now deliver the solutions that families deserve.”