McEntee urged to create fund for parents struggling with school digital device costs

A dedicated fund for parents struggling to pay for digital devices should be established by Education Minister Helen McEntee, according to Sinn Féin TD Darren O'Rourke.

A Back to School Survey by children’s charity Barnardos published earlier this month found that half of secondary school parents said their child’s school also requires them to buy digital devices which costs on average €430. It also showed that 60 per cent of parents of secondary school pupils and half of parents of primary school pupils are worried about affording the costs of returning to school this year.

“A dedicated fund must be established to ensure that children whose families cannot afford these devices are not excluded from accessing this equipment,” Meath East TD and Sinn Féin spokesperson on education, Darren O’Rourke said.

He said the integration of technology in education is necessary but it is currently creating a digital divide as the devices can cost up to €800 which is too much for some parents.

“It is clear that some students will be disadvantaged or possibly even ostracised if parents are unable to provide the device for school. This is something I have seen within my own constituency of Meath East, where I have heard of children who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and cannot afford this equipment are at the back of the classroom with no digital devices.”

236,560 children have received back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance payments by the government but Barnardos said more children should be helped. The allowance is €160 for most primary school children, and €285 for those aged 12 and over. The average expected cost for uniforms, voluntary contributions and classroom resources is €263 for primary schools and €406 for secondary schools.

'Voluntary contributions', which parents told Barnardos feel anything but voluntary, are requested by 78% of primary and 84% of secondary school. Primary schools are asking on average for close to €90 while average contributions to secondary schools is €133.

Over a quarter of secondary school parents and 14% of primary school parents said they will be taking from their savings. 15% secondary school parents and 8% of primary school parents will be taking out a loan or borrowing from family or friends. Others will be cutting on other essentials such as gas and electricity bills.

“Recent reports from Barnardo’s and the Irish League of Credit Unions have illustrated the vast amount of parents who fall into debt in order to cover the cost of sending their children back to school,” O’Rourke said.

“There needs to be measures taken to ensure that people from a disadvantaged background don’t slip through the cracks and get left behind.”