THE costs faced by Limerick families with children starting or returning to school next week has been described as State-sponsored extortion.
It is estimated that back to school can incur expenses ranging from €340 for a child in senior infants to €775 for a child embarking on their first year of second level education.
And Limerick Sinn Féin TD Maurice Quinlivan has said that the costs had reached the point of “being extortion on the State’s behalf”.
“We aspire to live in a state that presents our children with an education system that is equal in terms of access, opportunity and outcomes. However, this is a far cry from the reality experienced by many children.
“Barnardos and Saint Vincent de Paul have echoed many of these concerns. The cost of making our education system free in every sense of the word for both primary and secondary students is estimated to be in the region of €100 million. A nominal figure when looked at in the context of the annual Departmental budget.”
Deputy Quinlivan believes that investment in the education system should be prioritised above “tax cuts for the wealthy” in the Government’s budget this coming October.
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) insists that the cost of sending children to school continues to place a very heavy burden on thousands of families already struggling either on social welfare payments or low pay.
The SVP has campaigned vigorously for ways to reduce these costs through standardisation of uniforms and the introduction of schoolbook rental schemes. The Society in Limerick says that many schools in the city now operate book rental schemes and that SVP works closely with schools and some bookshops to ensure that pupils have access to the books they require.
An SVP spokesman said that the Society nationally has not experienced any decline in requests for back-to-school costs, but there has been some increase in families seeking help with third-level costs.
“This national trend is also a reflection of the situation in Limerick. Overall the SVP in Limerick city support approximately 3,000 families a year primarily with food, energy and education costs.”
by Alan Jacques
