Education can cost parents €61,206

THEY SAY school days are the best in a person's life, but for parents they can be some of the most expensive, as a new survey has revealed the cost of educating a child through to degree level can amount to €61,0206.

Researchers found college to be the most expensive time for parents, amounting to some €38,000 over four years, while six years of secondary school and eight years of primary add up to almost €13,000 and €10,000 respectively.

Back-to-school time is among the heaviest burdens on parents, with an average spend of €376 per child. A massive 98 per cent of parents said they found the period expensive and three-quarters said the Government's back-to-school allowance, currently means-tested, should be made available to all parents.

The statistics were generated by a survey conducted for Bank of Ireland Life by schooldays.ie. A nationwide sample of more than 500 parents were questioned. It estimates it will cost more than €61,206 to educate each child through to third level completion.

Aine Lynch, of the National Parents Council, said the figures highlight concerns the organisation is regularly contacted about on its helpline. "The cost of going back to and attending school is ever-increasing and this survey highlights a lot of the problems parents face every school year," she said.

More than half of those surveyed said regular changes in the schoolbook curriculum caused a big headache and was the most unnecessarily expensive part of education. Parents estimated they spent €626 per year at primary level and €620 at secondary on activities such as dance, swimming and piano lessons.

Lunch was a major expense for parents at all three levels, adding up to €610 in primary, €1,152 in secondary and €1,071 in third level. For students in third level, accommodation was the major cost, amounting to €3,300 annually, more than one-third of the overall yearly cost.

School fees and voluntary contributions were another expensive issue, with third-level contributions amounting to €3,467.50 over four years.

"We don't feel the voluntary contribution should exist. It's supposed to be a free schools system and it certainly should not be mandatory for parents to pay it, but 74 per cent of parents we spoke to said they were asked for one," said Ms Lynch. "The contribution is supposed to be used for luxury items in schools, but it's now being used to cover the running costs and things like heat and light. This concerns us because with oil and heat prices increasing, and no sign of an increase in school capitation grants going up, parents may be placed under a greater strain."