Children in Clare are being curtailed from extra-curricular activities and trips due to “crippling back to school costs”.
Stricter guidelines are needed at national level on the use of specific uniforms and school jackets, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) detailed in a recent motion before Clare County Council. She asked that the Department of Education and Minister for Education, Norma Foley (FF) be contacted regarding “crippling costs of back to school for families”.
A substantial increase in funding for the school book scheme is also needed, the Shannon representative believed. “Many parents are struggling financially with back to school costs with many of them forced into debt through uniform, books, school transport and voluntary contributions which a lot of parents stating that they feel under pressure to pay”.
Summer months have become “an extremely difficult time” financially for many families due to the cost of back to school, McGettigan said. “The cost of back to school makes the summer months an extremely difficult time financially for many families. Many parents, who might already be at the pin of their collar, are forced into sizeable debt just so they can send their children to school. Many families get little to no support and yet they have to fork out hundreds of euro to get their children ready for primary school, and over a thousand euro to send them to secondary school”.
Two thirds of parents have to decide that a child cannot partake in some extra-curricular activities while a third of parents can’t afford school trips, she claimed, “free education is a myth if you look at these numbers”. McGettigan added, “This is part of the growing cost of living crisis in this country, underfunded public services requiring citizens to cough up more”.
“It is a huge cost especially for families with more than one or two children,” Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) commented as he supported the proposal. The figures were concerning, Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) acknowledged.
