€116m in “voluntary contributions” exposes the cost of Government underfunding
€116m in “voluntary contributions” exposes the cost of Government underfunding - The Labour Party
Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has today called on the Minister for Education to abolish voluntary contributions and fund schools properly, after a parliamentary reply revealed that schools across Ireland recorded €116 million in contributions over the past five years. He said Government must stop leaving families to make up the shortfall in school funding.
Deputy Kenny said:
“Education should be free. There should be no such thing as a voluntary contribution in public education. These figures show the scale of the money schools collect through a system that puts pressure on parents and leaves principals dependent on what families can afford.
“The Department can call these payments voluntary, but that does not reflect how many families experience them. For a family already struggling with the soaring cost-of-living, another request for money means another difficult choice. No parent should have to worry that an inability to contribute could leave their child feeling different or disadvantaged.
“I will shortly publish the Education (Free Participation) Bill to address this issue. The Minister must support this Bill and back that support with the funding schools need to end their reliance on parents’ contributions.
“Schools need reliable funding to meet their running costs. Simply telling parents they do not have to pay does nothing to address the funding needs that drive these requests. The Minister must end schools’ reliance on contributions by providing adequate, sustained State funding.
“The Minister must now commit to ending voluntary contributions. Every child deserves an education that does not depend on their parents’ ability to pay.”