To Be Honest: ‘Voluntary’ contributions are fees by another name

‘Education is a right and not a privilege” has long been the mantra of the student movement, and every year, for as long as I can remember, students have carried placards bearing this maxim.

These protesters are referring to third-level education, but real financial challenges are affecting the school choices of parents with children at school.

I completed the Leaving Cert in 1997. Then, nonfee-paying schools simply did not charge children for attending the school. This is changing. Now schools across the country request parents to make contributions that can run into thousands of euro.

The schools say that contributions are voluntary and that the children will never be denied an education if their parents do not feel able to, or simply will not, pay these contributions.

The schools maintain that all parents are aware that the contributions are voluntary. But for most parents this is really more a legal nicety than a reality, as there is enormous pressure on parents to pay. The letters asking for contributions are sent out looking, to all intents and purposes, like bills.

Parents see these payments as anything but voluntary, and for a parent with more than one child in a school this can put significant financial pressure on them.

Last August the National Parents Council advised parents to concentrate on their children's education and ignore the letters from schools, but this is much easier said than done. There have been reports of children being given reminder letters for their parents in class, in front of their peers, which can only add to the pressure on those parents.

Fee-paying schools, at least, are honest. There is no legal fiction at play: they describe themselves as fee-paying and they charge fees. Different schools have different contribution levels, and the rate of contribution has impacted on where parents feel able to send their children. It takes a particularly bolshie parent to ignore letters that look like bills and to put their children under pressure from principals and staff as a result. These contributions are fees.

I am a social worker, and I regularly come across these letters; the parents often mention them in the context of the financial strain they are under. When I point out that they do not have to pay them, I am met with quizzical looks and disbelief. The reality is parents view these “voluntary” contributions as fees, and they pay them. I believe if schools declare themselves to be nonfeepaying, they should be that and not charge fees.

If they feel the need to fundraise, they should get their buckets out or start baking. Sending bills to parents is not fair and it puts undue pressure on parents, particularly those with already acute financial difficulties.

This column is intended to give a voice, anonymously, to those within the educationsystem. Contributions welcome to educationdesk@irishtimes.com