Parents funding the education system to the tune of €23m annually, Oireachtas committee hears

The number of schools who turned to the Department of Education for help with financial issues last year almost doubled, from 31 in 2023/24 to 61. Picture: iStock

Parents are funding the education system to the tune of €23m annually, yet an Oireachtas committee heard of one school cutting back on music and paper towels to keep afloat.

The Oireachtas education committee met with officials from the Department of Education and Youth to discuss the funding paid to schools through capitation and ancillary grants.

Shortfalls in this funding, which is intended to cover schools' day-to-day running costs, means schools often turn to fundraising and voluntary contributions to plug any gaps.

Budget 2026 includes an increase in the capitation grant, which equates to €50 per pupil for primary schools, and of €20 per student for post-primary schools.

The standard mainstream rate now stands at €274 in primary schools, and €406 in post-primary. 

This rate is higher for urban Deis primary schools, at €294. 

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During the committee, the Department of Education confirmed to Sinn Féin's education spokesman Darren O'Rourke that voluntary contributions and fundraising from parents across both primary and secondary schools averages at €23m annually.

The number of schools who turned to the Department of Education for help with financial issues last year almost doubled, from 31 in 2023/24 to 61.

Most schools tended to be Déis primary schools.

Sinn Féin TD Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh described how a principal of a primary school in her constituency has been making “sizeable cuts” to ensure it can keep afloat.

The school has dropped its music programme, cut the use of paper towels, doubled the price of swimming lessons, ceased all spending on equipment for science, history, and geography, and ceased upgrades to ICT equipment.

“The funding issue is not going to go away,” Ms Ní Raghallaigh said. 

The simple fact of the matter is that the capitation grant and the timing of it is barely keeping schools paying their bills.

Fianna Fáil TD Aisling Dempsey raised the plight of a school in her constituency unable to access financial support to employ a full-time caretaker.

“This leaves the school in an impossible position,” she said. “A primary school of over 300 pupils expected to operate safely, efficiently, and compliantly without any caretaker support whatsoever.” 

Fianna Fáil TD Ryan O’Meara said he is seeing more and more schools experiencing “demographic changes”, making it harder to ask parents for voluntary contributions.

“A lot of it is in relation to refugee centres in certain towns,” he said.

“I've had a number of schools in my constituency that have come to me that have Ipas centres or centres for Ukrainians close to the school or in the town, whichever the case may be. 

“Essentially what is happening is that the needs in that school are increasing quite dramatically in terms of additional language needs [and] more funding being needed for that school to meet the basic needs of the children in the school.” 

While demand is increasing, families cannot provide the same level of voluntary funding or do the same level of fundraising, he said.

“It's leaving a gap for them and I’m worried about them ending up in a spiral essentially.”

The committee heard how the department is currently looking at how to better use accounts data to inform financial policy and understand the key drivers of expenditure across schools.