School Costs Survey 2017: Briefing Paper

Citation
Barnardos. (2017). School Costs Survey 2017: Briefing Paper. https://knowledge.barnardos.ie/handle/20.500.13085/339
Abstract
The mantra is the same: the back to school costs places a huge financial burden on parents with many feeling stressed at juggling household bills or getting into debt to ensure their children have all they need to start another school year. It is clear that Ireland’s free education system is very expensive and adversely affects those on lower incomes often restricting their children from thriving in school. There is a strong awareness by parents that the educational system remains under-funded, but they do not believe that they should be expected to fill the void. It is the Government’s responsibility to adequately fund public services – including education. Many parents welcomed the Minister’s comments and plans for schools to be more proactive in reducing the costs on parents and were frustrated at not feeling the benefit of it. However, in the absence of support and investment from Government, these plans are not likely to be advanced in full.
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