In my opinion: We must drop the lie that primary schools are free [Independent.ie]
- Published: 22 December 2010
Whatever happened to free primary education? Last year, parents provided 20% to 40% of their schools' operational costs.
Not only does this highlight the fallacy of 'free education', but when you consider that such money is from income that has already been taxed, it means that parents are subsidising the State's 3,400 schools' day-to-day running costs by up to 50%!
If that wasn't enough, the Department of Education's annual grant for schools, which is meant to fully fund operational costs, is being cut by 5%. The time has come to stop using the term 'free education'.
All schools have parents losing jobs, taking pay cuts or reduced hours. 'Voluntary contributions' are radically reduced, leaving a hole in schools' budgets.
Regardless of the economy, some parents cannot or will not contribute towards operating costs. A key value in every school is equity -- equal and fair access by all children to all learning opportunities. This means that the voluntary contribution has to cover swimming lessons, school tours, visiting theatre groups etc. A major worry now for teachers and principals is where to find money to ensure 'equity'.
This financial reality must be considered against a backdrop of other severe cuts.
The average class size has risen from 27 to 28. As this is an 'average', in reality it means there are classrooms with as few as 23/24 and as many as 32/33 pupils.
Full Story: www.independent.ie
