head1
head2
head 3

Parents getting into debt to meet costs of sending their children back to school

DUBLIN: Parents are now spending more than the previous year to cover the cost of sending their children back to school, and many are going into debt as a result.

A survey of more than a thousand parents found that the overall cost of school items has increased for both primary and secondary schools. This is despite the fact that children were home-schooled at the start of the year.

Parents now spend €1,491 per secondary school child, an increase of €24 from last year, while the cost of sending a primary school child to school has increased by €63 to €1,186.

Books are the most expensive item for parents of secondary school students, costing €211 this year, up from €196 the previous year. Extracurricular activities are the most expensive

According to the survey by i-Reach Insights for the Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU), the average debt parents find to send their child back to school is €336. Three-quarters have debts of more than €200, while 21% have debts of more than €500.

To meet back-to-school expenses, 68% of parents use their monthly income, 36% use their savings, and 17% use their credit card.

Meanwhile, some parents have reported that 71% of schools are still seeking voluntary contributions. Almost two-thirds of parents believe that schools do not do enough to assist reduce costs.

70% of parents reported that the COVID-19 epidemic had an impact on their family’s mental health. 65% of parents feel that home-schooling and lockdowns have had a negative impact on their child’s overall educational performance.

 Home-schooling has also caused parents to spend more money, with 35% citing the increased expense of feeding children as having a major impact on household finances, while 22% citing spending on laptops and tablets as having the greatest impact.

Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Social Protection, announced in June that a total of €118 million will be spent in three schemes to help schoolchildren and their families.

Kindly click the link below to join WhatsApp group chat to get important news and breaking news from Irish Samachar

https://chat.whatsapp.com/KBqVjwrzvrb386McEnoyZ5

Comments are closed.