Education Minister must act to reduce back to school costs – Deputy Jonathan O’Brien
Sinn
Féin Education Spokesperson Jonathan O’Brien has said the Department of
Education and Skills (DES) must act immediately and implement recommendations
that would mean pupils are not obliged to wear crested school uniforms and that
the use of workbooks would be brought to an end.
The Cork North Central TD was responding to the recommendations of the
Oireachtas Select Committee on Education that recently presented a number of
proposals to Minister Ruairí Quinn which if implemented would significantly
reduce back to schools costs for parents.
Deputy O’Brien said: “Figures contained in Barnardo’s Annual School’s Survey
for 2012 found that on average parents are paying €355 for a child in senior
infants, €390 for children in 4th class in primary school and €770 for children
going into first year in secondary school.
“Having greater parental greatly choice when clothing and equipping children
for school is something Sinn Féin has been lobbying the Minister on for many
years.
“We have also put forward recommendations that would enforce a mandatory code
of practise on the publishers of school text books as well as the expansion of
the school book rental scheme.
“School books and uniforms are amongst the highest of the costs that parents
face, with voluntary contributions and school transport adding to the burden.
“The financial burden that is being placed on parents when sending their
children to school has now reached unsustainable levels and the report from the
Oireachtas education committee has recommended that pupils should not be forced
to wear crested uniforms and the that use of workbooks which cannot be reused
should be brought to an end.
“It is unacceptable that parents have to pay such excessive amounts of money on
back to school costs when there are more affordable alternatives available.”