Back to school - Big test for parents and their pockets

SCHOOLDAYS may be the happiest period of children’s lives but they can be the most miserable time for parents.

The reason is that, for many thousands of parents on a limited budget, the joy of seeing their child either starting school or going back to continue their education is tempered by the realisation of the huge financial burden this places on them by having to find the money for books and other educational equipment. Their counterparts in the North have no such worries as all classroom resources there have been free since 1947.

The results of a survey of annual school costs by the charity Barnardos reaffirms the urgent need for the Government to take effective measures to reduce that burden.

It reveals that more than 45% of parents will forgo other bills or cut back on daily essentials for their children’s education. It is little wonder, considering that the Irish League of Credit Unions measures the annual cost for sending a child to primary school at €1,000 and €1,500 for second-level. It isn’t just about the cost of books and uniforms. There are lunches, school trips, sports gear, and extra curricular activities to be taken into account.

So much for the ‘free’ post-primary education first introduced by Donagh O’Malley in 1966, a dynamic minister for education who also launched the free school transport scheme, community schools, and third-level technical colleges. Each of those innovations helped propel the youth of Ireland from poverty to relative affluence by producing the best-educated and most productive workforce in Europe, described by poet Theo Dorgan as ‘O’Malley’s children’.

The problem is the failure by successive governments since 1966 to build on his vision has done little for O’Malley’s children’s children. That appeared to have been recognised less than a year ago when the current Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, launched his Action Plan for Education, mirroring it on the successful Action Plan for Jobs.

This new education strategy promised much, including financial relief on the cost of schoolbooks and uniforms. The plan, launched on September 15, 2016, had lofty ideals. Its stated aim was to make “the Irish education and training service the best in Europe by 2026”.

Among other measures, it would establish “a framework that helps schools reduce costs bearing on parents”. Under a ‘strong’ circular to be sent to schools, they would be required to take into consideration the needs of parents when making decisions that have a financial impact. Fine words, but little action since, while costs have risen.

The back-to-school grant should at least be restored to 2010 levels, when it stood at between €200 and €300. It is currently €125 for a primary school child and €250 at secondary level.

Free education is costly but not providing it even moreso. The stark reality is that ignorance begets poverty. It would be a tragedy if we were to return to the dark days when education was the preserve of the elite. Making our education system truly free would be an investment in the future and a fitting monument to Donagh O’Malley.