Govt failure to act on digital divide driving up back to school costs
Govt failure to act on digital divide driving up back to school costs - The Labour Party
Labour’s education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has called out the Government’s failure to act on Labour’s motion to tackle the digital divide in classrooms across the country.
The Dáil debated Labour’s motion on the last Wednesday before the Oireachtas recess which would drive down back to school costs for parents.
Today, research from Barnardos reveals that more than half of parents of secondary school students are spending almost €450 on digital devices in back-to-school costs, while over a quarter of secondary school parents are using savings to meet back to school costs.
Deputy Kenny said:
“The findings from Bernardos are clear. 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 For far too many families, the excitement of returning to school has been replaced by financial anxiety.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. The survey shows that 15% of secondary and 9% of primary school parents say they have been forced to take a loan or borrow from friends and family to meet school costs.
“In one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, that should shame every one of us.
“Technology is now an essential part of education, but access to technology cannot depend on whether a family can find another €450 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, so-called 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.
“Labour’s Dáil motion clearly called on Government to restore the ICT grant to at least €50mn in recognition of this fact, as well as establishing a national device loan scheme, reversing increased transport and State examination fees and restoring the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
“Government did not oppose the motion – indicating to me that the Minister and her Government colleagues accept that there is a problem here.
“I would urge the Minster to take heed of the Barnardos report today, revisit the clear asks of Labour’s Dáil motion, and take action for families before the return to school in less than one month.”