€1,200 school costs bill for parents

PARENTS of children starting secondary school this September will have to pay out up to €1,200 on books, uniforms and other additional costs, the Labour Party claimed yesterday.

Education spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan said the supports provided by the Government were totally inadequate and left many families on low incomes struggling to prepare their children for school.

“We talk about free education in Ireland but in fact it’s a myth - when you see the kind of money parents have to come up with and the effect it has on relationships within families,” she said.