Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Parents rightly question the notion of free education at this time of year. The Irish League of Credit Unions survey on back-to-school costs shows 66% of parents see back-to-school costs as a financial burden.

Costs increase across the board year on year as schools look for higher voluntary contributions because the system is being underfunded by the Government. It is crazy to think that parents continue to pick up the State's tab to the tune of €40 million or €50 million per year.

I want to raise the case of a woman in my constituency who has two children attending secondary school and a third starting in September. The books for all three come in at over €500. On top of that, the child entering first year needs to get an iPad, which comes in at over €700. The uniform costs €200. For the woman, the total cost of her three children going to secondary school in September is over €1,400, before a voluntary contribution or school fees.

Another lady contacted me and said she has two young children in primary school whose uniforms cost €160, before having to make voluntary school contributions, pay for stationery and pay various school fees. Simple cost-saving measures such as generic uniforms have been talked about for years by various Ministers but nothing has ever come of it. While I acknowledge that the Minister introduced free schoolbooks for primary school children in the past budget, this really needs to be done for secondary school pupils too.

An increase in the student contribution charge for third level is on the way, as if third level students were not struggling enough. The Government needs to scrap these increases and show compassion for hard-pressed students. It is time that the Government funded education properly and worked towards making it really and truly free.

See this speech in context