Parents turn to charity as school costs hit home [dublinpeople.com]
- Published: 09 September 2010
THERE have been calls on the Government to help shoulder the burden of back to school costs for less well off families as desperate parents turn to charity for assistance.
With the new school year now underway, many families across the Southside are struggling to pay for books, uniforms and meals due to the recession.
The St Vincent De Paul revealed that they have dealt with an almost 40 per cent increase in the number of parents - and even some Dublin schools - who approached them for financial assistance in the run up to the new school year.
The organisation expects to spend over e4 million on education this year, as the average cost of sending a child to secondary school has spiked to e815 - e500 more than the Back to School allowance.
A spokesman told Southside People that overall calls from cash-strapped Dublin residents were up 37 per cent on last year.
Worryingly, a number of Dublin schools have also approached the charity requesting financial support.
“We have definitely seen an increase in recent times because of the rising cost of getting kids back to school,” the spokesman said.
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