Soaring education costs lead to ‘fewer schoolbooks’ call

CALLS have been made for changes to taxation policy and a cull in the amount of schoolbooks needed by children as the cost of education continues to soar.

With a survey suggesting that it can cost on average €61,000 to send a student through primary, secondary and third-level education, campaigners have labelled the financial burden astonishing.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) — which last year paid out €3 million to clients towards education costs — has called for the widespread availability of free schoolbooks and for an improved, national book rental scheme.

“There is a free book scheme in this state but it’s very complicated and the rules and regulations are a bit Byzantine so, very often, people aren’t aware of it,” said SVP’s Professor John Monaghan.

Prof Monaghan said that if the Government won’t make all schoolbooks free for all pupils it should at least ensure all children in designated disadvantaged schools get them.

“We also need a proper, national book rental scheme. Too often, these are run locally by very dedicated, enthusiastic teachers, but when the teacher moves on or gets promoted or leaves, that enthusiasm dies with them. It needs to be a national scheme.”

National Parents Council post-primary vice-chairman David Hegarty agreed that one of the main problems faced by parents was the cost of schoolbooks.

“The schoolbook sector must be looked at again,” he said. “The value of having so many workbooks should be called into question. They are only helping the book publishing sector because they can’t be passed on from one child to another and have to be bought new each time. They also add greatly to the load the child has to carry every day.”

Mr Hegarty described the €61,000 figure as “an astonishing cost” at a time when an educated workforce was needed.

“The Government should be making every effort to ensure that exposure to education is maximised and that the cost of education and the cost of living for children and their parents is kept to a minimum.”

Union of Students of Ireland (USI) president Shane Kelly said the new figures were evidence of the “insanity” of the recent decision by Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe to freeze the third-level maintenance grant for next year.

That decision, which was revealed by the Irish Examiner on July 19, sets the maximum third-level grant for disadvantaged students at €6,690 — the same as last September, even though education costs have continued to rise.

The survey, published yesterday, was carried out by parenting and teaching website Schooldays.ie on behalf of Bank of Ireland Life.

Items making up the cost of education included: “voluntary contributions”, third-level expenses, accommodation, school transport, books and supplies, clothing and footwear and lunches.