THE “WORKING poor” are contacting organisations like St Vincent de Paul in large numbers as they struggle to meet the back-to-school costs of educating their children, it was claimed yesterday.
Southern regional president of the St Vincent de Paul Society, Brendan Dempsey, said parents just over the threshold to qualify for the back-to-school allowance were under immense pressure as September draws near.
“The real problem is with the working poor; those in low-paid jobs who may be over the threshold that would allow them to qualify for the back-to-school allowance or to qualify for a free doctor.
“You take a child who is not in a disadvantaged area – the books would cost €170 as opposed to €39 in the disadvantaged area. Children are about the only asset we have, and they need to be nurtured and looked after.”
Mr Dempsey said parents in difficulty should not be afraid to contact organisations like St Vincent de Paul. While the back-to-school allowance helped large numbers of families in relation to shoes and clothes there was no payment to help parents who were facing massive bills for school books.
The society has called for the introduction of more rent-a-book schemes in schools to reduce costs for low-income families.
Frequent curriculum changes mean that textbooks cannot be handed down or sold.
The society has said there is the need for the creation of better linkage and integration between the those who design curriculums and school book producers to increase the life cycle of books.
Meanwhile, the National Consumer Agency (NCA) said yesterday that while schoolbooks, uniforms, lunches and extras were expensive, shrewd consumers who knew their way around the system could cut costs significantly.
“Getting children back to school is an expensive task for parents who are faced with buying new uniforms, books and supplies,” said the assistant director of the NCA.
Publishing a list of money-saving tips, the NCA urged parents to check with schools if they offered second-hand book sales and suggested they buy them in instalments throughout the summer. It also points people towards websites such as www.schoolbooks.ie or www.schoolbooksonline.ie where discounted books are sometimes to be found.
A full list of the NCA’s tips is available from www.consumerconnect.ie