Back-to-school aid criteria under fire

STRONG criticisms have been made about the strict criteria to qualify for financial help from the state with back-to-school costs.

While the vast majority of the 40% of surveyed parents who had applied to the Department of Social Protection for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) have already been paid, those who were not eligible expressed anger.

“My husband is unemployed and I am on minimum wage, yet we still don’t qualify for the allowance. It’s disgraceful it is so hard to make sure our children are provided for,” wrote one parent in response to the Barnardos school costs survey.