The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Where’s our free education?
A SOUTH Kerry family is calling on the Attorney General and President Michael D Higgins to intervene in the cost of education, which they say is putting a huge financial burden on parents.
With thousands of primary school children across the county due back to school next week, John and Karen Smith from Mastergeehy, are calling on the Government to uphold the constitution which provides for free education for children.
“The president has constitutional authority so he can tell the Department of Education to honour the constitution and provide free education but they are clearly in breach of the constitution,” said John this week.
Mr Smith has also written to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, to intervene.
A KERRY family has taken their fight for free education to the Attorney General and President Michael D Higgins.
John and Karen Smith from Mastergeehy, near Dromid in south Kerry, claim that the huge financial burden placed on parents by back-to-school costs is unconstitutional, and they are calling on both the Attorney General and President Higgins to intervene.
The Smith family have also written to Minister for Education, Richard Bruton, seeking his intervention.
Article 42.4 states that the “state shall provide for free education” and the Smith family are arguing that this must be upheld. “He (the President) is the guardian of the constitution and it is the role of a Government department to honour the constitution but that is not being done,” said the concerned father.
“The president has constitutional authority so he can tell the Department of Education to honour the constitution and provide free education. They are clearly in breach of the constitution.”
Mr Smith said that one of his main concerns is the cost of school books each year.
The father of four, three of whom attend Coars National School, believes that the book rental scheme should be funded by the Government and not by parents.
“How is it free education if we have to pay for the books?,” said Mr Smith.
“There is free education according to the constitution but the Government are making us pay for books and extras.”
In response, the Attorney General stated that his role is as a legal adviser to the Government and that the issues raised in their letter are a matter of Minister Bruton.
The Taoiseach and Minister Bruton, in their responses to the Smith family, said that the cost of books, which they refer to in their letter, is a matter for each Board of Management which Mr Smith says is “side-stepping the issue”. The president has not responded to correspondence from the Smith family.
“Will it take a constitutional challenge? It seems wrong to use that the constitution can say one thing and the Government department can ignore it and operate differently,” he said.
Barnados has also launched a campaign calling for the Government to deliver free primary education for all children. They say that it would cost €103.2m to guarantee free access to education for all primary school children.
This investment would fulfil the Government’s constitutional obligation to deliver free education for all primary school children and would cover all school books, school transport and classroom resources according to their campaign.