At this time of year and with the great weather we are having, families should be planning holidays or spending days at the beach or elsewhere. Instead, for a growing number of families, this is a time of stress. They are already worrying about the cost of their children going back to school in September. On top of spiralling rents, mortgages and food and energy costs, they must also pay for school books, uniforms, school bags and shoes and make the so-called voluntary donation. The list is endless, and the burden for families is getting heavier. Sending children back to school is a significant financial burden, with an average cost of €1,607 in respect of primary school students and over €2,100 for secondary school students. These costs, details of which were provided by the Irish League of Credit Unions and Zurich, are forcing many parents into debt. Added to them are growing digital costs. According to Barnardos, the average cost of digital devices for second level has reached €430. That is up from €221 a couple of years ago. Families are going to be contacting me throughout the summer at my constituency office in Dublin Fingal East, just like they did last year. Parents and guardians are under pressure. They are seeking financial help. Many of them are borrowing money to clear current debts before the back-to-school bills land on their doorsteps. The Government points to improvements like the free school books scheme, but these gains are wiped out by the cost of living. The Government has reintroduced State examination fees, increased school transport fees, cut the back-to-school clothes and footwear scheme and removed the cost-of-living payments for schools and the double child benefit payment. Many schools still do not provide hot lunches for kids. Tackling these costs requires structural change, sustained public investment in education and schools and an immediate reversal of the cuts to grants and one-off payments and the reintroduction of fees. Our kids are our future; we need to invest in them.

Sentiment score: 0.14