Hidden school costs are making free education a fiction
Hidden school costs are making free education a fiction - The Labour Party
- Government inaction leaving parents with €2,800 back to school bill
- Labour calls for action on “voluntary” contributions, school transport, exam fees and the growing cost of laptops and tablets
Labour education spokesperson Deputy Eoghan Kenny has called for urgent Government action on back to school costs after new University of Limerick analysis found that the annual cost of sending a child to secondary school can exceed €2,800 once transport, clothing, lunches and activities are included.
With families facing another expensive September, Labour is calling on Government to tackle hidden school costs and deliver on measures proposed by the party before the summer recess.
Deputy Kenny said:
“Parents should not face bills running into thousands of euro simply to send their children to school. These figures confirm what families already know: the cost of education goes far beyond books and uniforms, and every September puts huge pressure on household budgets.
“For too long, Government has failed to tackle so-called voluntary contributions. If parents feel they have no real choice but to pay, we need to stop pretending these contributions are voluntary.
“Before the summer recess, Labour brought a motion to the Dáil setting out practical steps to tackle back to school costs and the digital divide. Government did not oppose it, acknowledging there is a problem, but families are still waiting for action.
“Labour has welcomed the expansion of hot school meals and the Free Schoolbooks Scheme. But those gains are increasingly being eaten away by other costs. Parents are still paying for school transport, State Examination Fees, so-called voluntary contributions and, increasingly, hundreds of euro for laptops and tablets.
“Technology is no longer an optional extra in education. If schools require students to have a particular laptop or tablet, Government must ensure that no child is excluded because their family cannot afford it.
“Labour is calling for enforceable rules on school laptop requirements, the restoration of the ICT Grant and a national device loan scheme so that every child can access the technology they need.
“This comes down to the kind of education system we want. We can allow hidden costs to widen inequality in our classrooms, or we can take practical steps to make education genuinely free.
“Government accepted the need for action when it did not oppose Labour’s Dáil motion. It must now follow through. Parents do not need another acknowledgement of the problem. They need action to bring down costs and ensure that no child’s education depends on their family’s ability to pay.”