Parents Pay €775 To Send First-Year Pupil To School - Survey

New figures have revealed it costs parents €775 to send a first year pupil to secondary school.

According to Bernados Schools Costs Survey 2016, parents face "huge pressures" when trying to find the money to cover their children's education, with two in five forgoing paying household bills or cutting back on expenses.

While one in ten parents are forced to go into debt, borrow from friends and family or even money lenders, similar respondents said they are forced to use their savings.

One parent who responded to the survey said: "I have three children in non-fee paying schools. This year, the two in secondary both need tablets- €550 each plus e-books at €300 for one and Transition Year costs of €450 for the other. School bus costs €650 for the year. That's €2.5k. Uniforms, voluntary contribution, sundries and the primary school child will add another €1.5k. So, we're looking at €4k total for the free education of three kids."

Fergus Finlay, Chief Executive Officer at Barnardos, said parents are expressing their "anger and frustration" over the lack of consistency in education costs.

"They are frustrated by the injustice of different schools setting vastly different parameters, with some benefitting from school book rental schemes, minimal contributions and plain uniforms," he said.

"Too many, however, face astronomical costs for fully crested uniforms, lengthy book lists and a huge lists of 'extras' including payments for stationery, arts materials, photocopying and school tours."

The charity said an extra €103.2 million annual investment by the Government would help unburden parents and make free primary education "a reality for all children", while an extra annual €126.9 million should be invested to make secondary education free within the next three years.

(LM/CD)