Ireland’s €1,518 ‘free’ education: Is there a better way than the current system?

Back in 2017, the then minister for education announced a bold new initiative to help reduce back-to-school costs for parents amid a blaze of publicity.

Schools would be required to cut costs by ensuring uniforms were purchasable from various stores; that only “iron-on” crests should be used; that generic rather than branded items such as digital devices should be specified; provide book-rental schemes; phase out the use of workbooks; and so on.

One of the most eye-catching elements of the plan was this: schools that failed to implement these cost-saving measures would lose out on “premium” capitation payments.

The policy sounded impressive on paper – but it was never fully implemented. Schools were not monitored to see if they were adopting cost-saving policies. No premium capitation payments ever issued.

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When The Irish Times queried the status of this announcement recently, a Department of Education spokesman said it “does not hold any financial data in relation to the circular referenced”. In other words, the policy has been quietly shelved.

The episode highlights both the cost of our “free” education system – and the hands-off approach of the department when it comes to these issues.

Little wonder, then, that so many parents are tearing their hair out trying to sort out schoolbooks, digital devices, uniforms and extracurricular activities for the year ahead, while worrying about how they’ll pay for it all.

Those sending a child to primary school this month will pay an average of €1,195 – up €9 on last year, research published by the Irish League of Credit Unions shows. Parents of children going to secondary school can expect to pay an average of €1,518, up €27 on last year. These are significant sums for most and an eye-watering multiplier for families with several children.

So, is there a better way than the current system? What happens in other jurisdictions? And how much would it cost to have a genuinely free education system?

Schoolbooks

The high cost of schoolbooks reflects wider problems with an education system in which the State forgoes the right to impose centralised standards.

The result, say many, is an inefficient, expensive and often environmentally wasteful arrangement.

In Northern Ireland, a long-standing book-rental scheme helps to ease the financial burden on parents. Many European states run similar initiatives.

The department gives about €17 million to schools each year for books and rental schemes, according to a spokesman, but most schools say this sum falls far short of providing a comprehensive rental system.

The Irish League of Credit Unions this year estimates that the average cost of schoolbooks at primary level is €110, while at second level the average cost is €297.

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The Labour Party estimates it would cost the State about €40 million a year to provide schoolbooks for both primary school and secondary school level, a drop in the ocean when set against the €9 billion budget for the department.

As for publishers, the Irish Educational Publishers’ Association insists that members adhere to a code of practice under which school textbooks cannot be revised within four years of being published unless there are changes to the curriculum.

It estimates that parents will pay about €60 per student on average on schoolbooks annually, but accepts that “bubble years” can see that grow to between €250-300 in first year or fifth year at second level.

Uniforms

Despite policies on paper that promote generic uniforms, there is little sign of it happening on the ground.

Schools continue to ask parents to buy crested or branded uniforms with 75 per cent of primary and 95 per cent of secondary school parents reporting they are required to do so, according to a recent Barnardos study. Some primary schools with traditional uniforms allow pupils to wear school tracksuits in summer months or on days when there is PE, which raises the question: why are traditional uniforms still required at all?

In England, a new law to protect parents from unnecessary school uniform costs has come into effect from September 2022. It means state schools will be forced to remove unnecessary branded items from their uniform requirements, allowing parents to shop around or hand clothes down more easily.

A department spokesman said a new Student and Parent Charter Bill, when enacted, will improve how schools engage with students and their parents by requiring each school to consult with students and their parents on school costs such as uniforms. He said this will help ensure that the various views of students and parents will be heard and responded to by schools.

Digital devices

Devices such as iPads are compulsory purchases in a growing number of Irish second-level schools. For many parents the cost is close to €1,000 when other costs are factored in.

Dr Ann Marcus-Quinn, a lecturer in technical communication and instructional design at the University of Limerick, says schools are often fending for themselves in doing deals on accessing digital devices. Many, she says, lack the resources and training required to deploy and gain the full potential benefit of digital programmes.

By contrast, universities have access to large IT departments and access to national procurement services, which give discounts on hardware and software. She says something similar is urgently needed for secondary schools to help cut costs.

If you think ebooks are, at least, a handy cost-saver, think again. In many cases they involve buying time-limited licences that often include hard copies and workbooks, whether you need them or not.

As for ebooks, the Irish Educational Publishers’ Association says digital licences are the same as in any other industry that uses licensing and permissions to use the service, whether it is music streaming, software security or movie and programme streaming.

It says individual companies have their own policies around this. “While a common pricing policy cannot be agreed due to competition law, licence extensions or separate ebook licences to accompany second handbooks are priced competitively to take this into account,” it says.

Voluntary contributions

Quite apart from the argument about how voluntary these contributions are, they are significant. The average contribution at primary school was €124, according to the Irish League of Credit Unions, and €146 at second level.

Schools argue that they are vital to pay for heat, light and other day-to-day costs. It raises an obvious question: why aren’t these costs paid for by the State in the first place?

There are various estimates over how this would cost. The Catholic Primary School Management Association estimated a few years ago that these contributions were worth €45 million; others estimate that it would cost up to €100 million to cover the cost of voluntary contributions.

Sinn Féin is one of a number of Opposition parties to have tabled legislation aimed at ending voluntary contributions; Minister for Education Norma Foley responded that more funding than ever is going into schools and that the new Education (Student and Parent Charter) Bill, when enacted, will allow schools and parents to engage on issues such as these payments.

In the meantime, it seems clear that making education free will continue to be one of the most important unfulfilled policy goals of the Irish State. It seems unlikely to change until Government accepts the need to cover the costs of running schools and equipping children with the tools they need.

Back to school costs: the numbers

• €1,518: cost of sending a child to secondary school
• €1,195: cost of sending a child to primary school
• €339: average level of debt among the 29 per cent who borrow to pay school costs
• €124: average “voluntary” contribution at primary school
• €146: average “voluntary” contribution at second level
• €110: average cost of schoolbooks at primary level
• €297 average cost of schoolbooks at second level
• €121 average cost of digital tools at second level

Sources: Irish League of Credit Unions, Barnardos,