As per a survey carried out by Bernardos, 69% of school parents and 75% of secondary school students are seriously concerned about meeting school costs in the current year. The survey reveals the basic cost for sending fourth-class students to school was €424, and for the first-class student, it was about €814.
Last month there was an announcement of a payment increase of €100 for each child. But Suzzane Connolly, CEO of Barnardos, has mentioned that the Government requires to go further and set proper plans for offering a school system that is "genuinely free" for every child.
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She also believes there shouldn't be any parents going through an extreme financial crisis when trying to meet the necessary cost of education for children. Proper steps should be taken to ensure that children should not suffer from anxiety when there is parents are unable to meet the costs of school. The two important schemes available are the school book rental scheme and the allowance for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear.
Allowance on the Back to School Clothing and Footwear
This scheme is provided to help students meet the expense of footwear and uniform. This particular scheme that is activated until 30th September 2022 has already been automatically paid to some of the families. People who have automatically paid should have received a letter before 20th June. However, if that is not the case for you, make sure to apply online for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear scheme.
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Some criteria are required to meet if you wish to get the payment.
Read the criteria that qualify for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance:
On 30th September, the child should be aged between 4 -17. However, by the autumn of the year, students aged between 18 -22 are expected to return to full-time second-level education in a well-established school or college.
School Books
This particular scheme is administered by the school principal in each school. Using the Funding from the Free Education Scheme, state primary, as well as post-primary schools, can help students with the expense of school books. Contact the principal of the school if you wish to apply for assistance.
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