School Costs

Back to school costs are having an enormous impact on families. The most recent cost of education survey showed that parents are now paying almost €1,800 per year for a child in primary school and almost €3,000 per year for a child in secondary school. Even more worrying is that the number of parents taking loans to cover these costs has doubled in just one year. Parents are being crippled by the cost of school uniforms, materials and the so-called voluntary contributions, which many parents feel forced to pay and which are used to subsidise the education system because our schools are chronically underfunded. In recent years, more and more parents have an additional cost on top of this, as many schools now require them to purchase ICT equipment, such as laptops, for their children. During the summer months, many parents contacted me outlining the significant cost they are facing because the school requires them to purchase a laptop for their child or children for the upcoming school year. Parents were in touch with me who had to pay up to €1,000 between the cost of the device and the insurance to go with it. That has a massive impact on families who have to deal with rising costs right across the board and who are really struggling with the cost of living at the moment. One father with a child doing the leaving certificate told me that he had to pay €1,000 for his child's device. That comes on top of the €6,000 in college fees he will have to pay for his other two children, who are attending university. One mother told me she had to pay €700 for her child's device. The child is going into the leaving certificate. She has another daughter for whom she will have to purchase one in two years. She said that they were made to feel that she would be left out of class work if she did not have the laptop. Another mother told me she had two children in school for whom she had to purchase a laptop. She said that everything has now become very expensive. Parents are not being given an option to shop around for more affordable models. In many cases, they are put under significant pressure to purchase these devices. The Government's failure to regulate this is a dereliction of its duty. The Government is insisting that devices are not needed and not mandatory but guidance without enforcement does not offer any comfort at all. The resulting growing digital divide risks creating a two-tier education system where a family's income determines whether a child can participate fully in learning. That is completely unacceptable. If the Government is serious about reducing back-to-school costs and about equality of access, it must properly fund schools' digital infrastructure and stop expecting families to bridge that gap. Expecting parents to pay up to €1,000 on top of all of the other back-to-school costs simply will not cut it. I ask the Minister of State to outline how the Government is going to address this problem and ensure that families do not continue to struggle every year as the return to school comes around, particularly in respect of the cost of these digital devices.

I thank Deputy O'Hara for raising this matter. I am answering on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton. At the outset, I will state that there is no requirement for any student to have a personal device in school. On 25 May this year, the Minister for Education and Youth communicated directly with all schools and boards of management to set out the Department's position that there is no requirement for a personal device for junior cycle or the leaving certificate. The Minister requested schools to be cognisant of the view of all parents in relation to the use of digital devices and the associated costs and set out the need for schools to engage with all parents, and not just the parents' association, before deciding on an approach regarding devices. As the Deputy will no doubt be aware, under the Education Act, the boards of management of schools have responsibility for the day-to-day management of those schools. Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is therefore a matter for the board of management of each school in the context of its digital learning planning. Schools, in consultation with all parents, are responsible for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice, reflective of their own context and requirements. As mentioned, schools have been advised to consult with members of the school community, including parents, when planning for the introduction of digital technologies, including devices, with cost and other implications being fully considered by the boards of management before a decision is made. Government is keenly aware of the challenges faced by educators and parents in relation to the cost of digital technology, including tablets. The Department continues to work to help support schools and families meet these costs as part of an overall ongoing commitment to reduce financial pressure on families and to ensure students are supported to succeed. To support ICT in schools, €200 million was allocated under the digital strategy for schools, with the most recent tranche of €35 million issuing in January of this year. Schools have flexibility to use their ICT grants to meet local priorities, including infrastructure, maintenance and device provision, within available resources. The digital strategy for schools to 2027 does not mandate or prescribe the use of any particular devices or technologies in teaching and learning. It is concerned with the deeper embedding of digital technologies in education to develop digital literacy and competency and critical thinking and to enhance collaborative learning. It is not merely about replacing physical textbooks and resources with digital versions accessed via a digital device. The Department commissioned OECD research on the impact of digital technologies on student learning and this was published in September last year. This research highlights that access to digital devices alone does not guarantee improved learning outcomes and that their successful use depends on thoughtful pedagogical alignment and teacher and student digital competencies. The Minister will continue to engage with education stakeholders on this matter but it is worth nothing that the ultimate decision on the deployment of technology in schools remains with the school and its board of management. Each school is best placed to determine how best technology can support teaching and learning in its own context.

We all recognise that digital education has an important role to play but it has to be fair and equitable. The Minister of State mentioned that the Minister has communicated with schools. She wrote a letter to schools about the use of digital devices. That is not good enough because it has not made any meaningful difference. As I said earlier, guidance without enforcement simply has not worked. There needs to be a review of the roll-out of these devices. We need to ensure there is a consistent approach and supports for schools. I do not understand why that has not happened. Telling schools to avail of the ICT fund is a cop-out because the Government has cut €15 million from ICT grants for schools, with the total down to €35 million. You cannot cut the fund and then tell schools to rely on it to provide these devices. It is completely unfair that the cost is being heaped onto parents. There need to be supports for families who are struggling to pay and an overall review of the roll-out of the devices. The Government should restore the funding for ICT and provide proper support for schools for digital devices so that no child will be disadvantaged because they cannot afford expensive technology. Otherwise, we are going to continue seeing parents being put under pressure and a growing digital divide both between schools and within schools and classrooms, where some children will have a device and some children will not, with those children being made to feel left out. These are enormous costs. A sum of €1,000 for a device is not affordable to families. The Government should know that. It should be acting on this. You cannot continue to put this burden on families because families are at breaking point when it comes to rising costs right across the board, particularly when children are going back to school. I ask that the Minister for education and the Government as a whole finally get a handle on this and start to treat it seriously.

I thank Deputy O'Hara. There is real recognition from the Government of the pressures on families at back-to-school time. That is why we put a number of supports in place each year, such as the back-to-school allowance. It is also why the Government engages with boards of management in schools to make sure that those costs are fully considered at school level and are managed. In the Minister's communication to schools and boards of management this year, she emphasised the importance of minimising that cost burden on students and their families where digital devices are used as part of school life. She requested that school authorities have regard to a number of key principles. The guidance also reflects the established departmental approach to the general management of school-related costs, which was set out in Circular 32/2017 and Circular 65/2010. This guidance is intended to support boards of management in making decisions that promote affordability, equity and value for money. A number of measures are in place to support educators and parents as part of the Department of education's ongoing commitment to reducing financial pressure on families and ensuring that every student is supported. These measures include an instruction from the Department to schools to consult with parents and the school community on ensuring that costs are reasonable for parents and how to avoid costs acting as a barrier. For example, where possible, generic rather than branded items should be specified. The Deputy raises an important issue. It is one the Government and schools always need to be cognisant of. It is important that we all collectively work together to make sure that the real cost burden families face in relation to school costs is managed as best as possible while ensuring that students have what they need to have the best possible and optimal education. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter today. I will certainly pass his feedback and the key points he has raised on to the Minister for education.