Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection

Managing Back to School Costs: Discussion

10:45 am

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming in for this important debate. Parents face major challenges as the cost of sending children to school is increasing. With a reduction in the education budget, there will be an increased cost for parents, who can expect a figure in the region of €77 million. This is separate to the multi-annual reductions announced last year, such as the capitation grant. We must look at solutions in a different light because it is important to reduce the cost to parents as much as possible. Many of the solutions were the same across all presentations. However, there are different challenges to parents in terms of costs. For instance, Dr. Fennelly referred to school transport being a significant issue for parents in rural areas, whereas it is not a factor in urban areas. In Educate Together schools, the cost of school uniforms is not an issue. While there are different pressures in terms of the cost to parents, some of the solutions could be implemented across the board.

Regarding VAT rates for schools, is there any research on how much schools will save if it was abolished? What is the amount of money paid by schools? It will vary across the board but it may be significant in helping schools to manage budgets.

In respect of start-up costs, I am interested in the figure of €100,000, referred to by Fr. Connell. It is not feasible for schools to raise that amount of money. If it was possible, it would alleviate the costs for parents. Do the witnesses have any suggestions on how to overcome the obstacle? Junior certificate reform will make it more difficult to get to that position. Educate Together is in a position where 25% of costs are passed on to parents. Is there anything the Department can do to help schools to get from the start-up process to being able to implement the scheme very well?

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