IPPN

Back-to-school shock as costs to rise €1,500 -- TUI

Published: 09 December 2008

By John Walshe Education Editor

Tuesday December 09 2008

The middle classes will be squeezed badly when they send their children back to school or college next year, facing additional costs of around €1,500 per family of four children.

And the final figure could be even higher if schools ask them for extra 'voluntary' contributions to make up shortfalls in state aid, it was claimed last night.

An extensive survey carried out by the Teachers' Union of Ireland suggests parents may not be fully aware of the true extent of the additional costs they will bear.

"Many parents will have to budget for increased costs for school books, examinations fees, transport costs in rural areas and registration fees at third level. If post-primary schools decide to levy parents to maintain the current suite of programmes and activities this will add to the financial burden of families at a time when many will be facing unemployment," said union general secretary Peter MacMenamin.

The survey gives examples including a family of four children, living in a rural area and which is ineligible for either a medical card or third-level grant.

Even though there is no plan to introduce tuition fees next year, registration charges will go up by €600 per student.

If there are two children in second-level school, they will have to pay an extra €198 per year, while the withdrawal of book grants in many schools will mean an additional €300 and the ending of various programme grants will mean a further €100 payment.

The survey of 114 post-primary schools shows that the €14 increase in the capitation grant per pupil will not make up for the withdrawal of a number of other grants such as the physics and chemistry grant as well as the school-book grant and others to schools not specified as disadvantaged.

The average loss per school will be €30,000 or almost €2m in the schools surveyed.

The TUI survey predicts a loss of 239 teachers in the 114 schools. This will arise from the change in the pupil teacher ratio, the re-imposition of the cap of two language-support teachers and the withdrawal of posts provided to address educational disadvantage.

"It is misleading for the minister and others to cajole public support for this measure by suggesting that it will simply lead to 'one extra student in a class' and it is 'temporary'," says the study.

- John Walshe Education Editor