Parents Contribute More Than €116 Million to Irish Schools in Five Years, Raising Questions Over Free Education

Dublin: Although education in Ireland is officially free, parents have contributed more than €116 million to the country’s schools over the past five years, raising concerns about whether families are being asked to shoulder costs that should be covered by the state.

Government figures released in response to a parliamentary question from Eoghan Kenny, Labour TD for Cork North Central and the party’s education spokesperson, show that schools received a total of €116,609,799 in voluntary contributions between September 2020 and June 2025.

More than €24.1 million of that amount was collected during the 2024–25 academic year alone, highlighting the continuing reliance of schools on financial support from parents.

The figures have renewed calls for the government to provide schools with adequate funding and reduce their dependence on donations to meet everyday running costs.

Should parents have to shoulder the cost of education?

Schools facing financial pressure frequently organise fundraising events and seek donations from parents to cover gaps in their budgets.

A survey by an education organisation found that the average voluntary contribution requested by schools in connection with admissions for 2026 was €83 at primary level and €128 at post-primary level.

More than 80 per cent of parents surveyed said their child’s school had requested voluntary contributions. However, 67 per cent of primary school parents and 69 per cent of post-primary school parents said they did not feel the payments were genuinely voluntary.

The findings suggest that many families feel obliged to contribute because they understand that their children’s schools depend on the money to meet essential expenses.

More than €116 million collected over five years

Department of Education figures show that voluntary contributions received by schools were as follows:

• 2020–21: €22.8 million

• 2021–22: €23.1 million

• 2022–23: €23.6 million

• 2023–24: €22.7 million

• 2024–25: €24.1 million

Figures for the 2025–26 academic year have not yet been made available.

Kenny said the fact that parents had contributed more than €116 million in just five years raised serious questions about the government’s commitment to free education.

He stressed that the issue was not a criticism of schools or their principals, who were doing their best with the resources available to them. However, he argued that it was unfair to expect parents to make additional payments year after year to keep schools operating.

Even when described as voluntary, such contributions can place families under pressure, particularly when parents know that their children’s schools are struggling financially.

Kenny called on the government to provide schools with sufficient funding, increase capitation grants and end the reliance on parental contributions to meet basic costs.

He said free education should mean that every child can access schooling without their family’s financial circumstances determining how much they are expected to pay.

Schools facing growing financial pressure

The 2027 budget included an additional €17 million for school capitation grants. However, school management organisations have continued to warn that existing funding is insufficient to meet rising operating costs.

Last September, primary school management organisations submitted a financial analysis to Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton, highlighting the difficulties faced by schools. The report indicated that many primary schools had spent more than they received in income during the previous year.

A joint call for increased funding was made by several education and management bodies, including Educate Together, An Foras Pátrúnachta, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association, Education and Training Boards Ireland, Fórsa, the Irish Primary Principals’ Network, the Muslim Primary Education Board and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special Education.

The organisations pointed to the significant increase in the day-to-day costs of running schools and warned that inadequate grants were placing growing pressure on school finances.

An analysis by independent consultancy firm Verecox found that 71 per cent of primary schools in Ireland recorded a financial deficit in the previous year. The average shortfall associated with capitation grants was €8,288 per school.

The study also found that 40 per cent of schools relied on voluntary contributions from parents to help cover their expenses.

Education Minister insists donations are not compulsory

Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton has maintained that parents are under no obligation to make voluntary contributions. She made the comments in response to Kenny’s parliamentary question.

The minister said schools could seek donations only where it was made clear that the payments were voluntary. The decision to contribute rested entirely with parents, while responsibility for deciding how donations were requested and collected lay with individual school managements.

However, she emphasised that no parent or student should be placed in a position where they could reasonably feel that making a donation was compulsory.

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