‘Free education’ should be exactly what it says

NOW here’s a set of figures even the numerically challenged will easily understand. The State gives schools an average of €46,000 a year for daily costs – but the bills over the year typically tot up to €91,000. The cost is all but twice what the Department of Education provides. The shortfall is made up by parents’ donations and fundraising in the wider school community.

That quite simply makes a mockery of the concept of ‘free education’ – a concept we have had in this country since the first half of the 19th century.

And since primary education is the one inalienable right of every child, it raises pressing questions about equality of opportunity.

The first years of schooling mainly determine whether or not a child gets to life’s starting gate. Problems of literacy and numeracy can blight a young life all the way to old age. The quality of the place where teachers work and pupils learn is a factor.

Parents pay a whopping €46m in total to keep primary schools open and running to an acceptable standard. Schools rely on parents and the local community for half the money they need. Most of the €91,000 is spent on essentials like heating and lighting, cleaning, insurance, repairs, teaching aids and equipment, printing and stationery, technology, and school tours.

Some input from parents and the wider community is a good thing. It links the school into a locality and gives parents an insight. But the amounts required to bridge a too-large gap are alarming.

This burden faced by parents also questions Education Minister Richard Bruton’s stated aim of cutting costs. He has told schools to save money on uniforms and books.