Clash over cost-of-living claims

A parent can send their child back to school, fully dressed and equipped for learning, for “less than €50”. That was the claim made by one local councillor once the deducted cost of free schoolbooks, core classroom resources and hot meals for students are factored in.

Speaking at the July meeting of Cavan County Council, Fine Gael's Carmel Brady said she was “sick listening” to criticism about the cost-of-living situation in Ireland when it comes to sending children back to school. She highlighted free school books for all students under the Free Education Scheme, and the goal for full implementation of the school meals programme by 2030.

Cllr Brady said, while the supports aren't delivered in “cash” terms, they still benefit each individual family.

She said it had been brought to her attention that the majority of people now engaging with the Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) are struggling with personal debt.

Cllr Brady suggested some of the issues might resolve if some people were willing to “go without cigarettes, or without drink or betting”.

Her comments were in response to a motion tabled by Sinn Féin's Noel Connell who said “at an absolute minimum” every child should live in a home with adequate electricity, sufficient nutritious food, and appropriate clothing.

The Mountnugent man highlighted the contents of the recently published Cost of Living report, which monitors the impact of increases and details the number of families cutting back and going without essentials due to tighter budgets. It also takes account of the impact cost of living is having on their day-to-day lives and general quality of life and the worries they have for the future.

Barnardos commissioned Amárach Research to carry out a nationally representative survey with 1,000 parents/guardians caring for children aged under 18 years in May 2025. It showed that more than two in five went without or cut down on basic essentials such as heating, electricity, food and medical appointments; and one third of parents (32%) went into arrears on energy bills due to insufficient income.

“Ireland is a wealthy state, but too many of our children do not feel the benefit of this,” argued Cllr Connell. “It is simply not acceptable that 40 per cent of families have had to skip meals or reduce portion sizes so their children would have enough to eat; while almost 30 per cent felt at some point they didn't have enough food to feed their children.”

He asked: “How has the government let things get to a point where 70 per cent of parents say they sometimes or always worry about not being able to provide their children with daily essentials?”

Cllr Connell said the Barnardos report was just the “latest in a litany” that show government policies “are failing our young people”.

“They must prioritise people over profit and deliver the investment and support our children and families desperately need," he urged.

In reference to the Budget later this year, Cllr Connell proposed a cost-of-living package and “targeted measures”.

“People in Cavan cannot continue to pay the price for this government's failures,” stated Cllr Connell, whose comments were backed by party colleague Stiofán Conaty.

Third level costs

The same debate saw Cllr Conaty join with fellow Sinn Féin member Damien Brady in raising the plight regarding the rising cost of third level education in Ireland.

Cllr Conaty said the rising cost was “extremely worrying”, and “getting ridiculous”, between rising rents and grocery bills, not to mention higher fares on public transport.

He singled out the planned increase in university fees to €3,000 as having the potential to prevent young adults from “making the most” out of their college experience.

"I know for a fact that if I was going to college now, I could not afford to do so in Ireland, and I would probably go abroad. I spent four years studying in Dublin and one year in Belfast, where I worked all the hours I could in part-time roles, all the while living hand to mouth,” Cllr Conaty shared.

“I just about had the time to actually study and complete my degrees, and I was just about able to scrape by financially. It was bad enough back then but it has now gone beyond belief, and I feel so sorry for young people in college these days.”

He said he knew young people now working 30 hours a week as well as trying to undertake a full-time college course. “I know people who have had to take out loans at 18 years of age just to get by, and let me say this very clearly, student debt is not the answer! The last thing we need is a debt-ridden society, where folks are working for decades just to pay back a bank for the privilege of having had an education.”

Cllr Conaty concluded by saying that Ireland has a “proud tradition” of third-level education but this is now “being put at risk”.

“I urge the government to reverse their decision to hike fees and instead, scrap them altogether like they promised the Irish people at the last election.”

Cllr Damien Brady meanwhile likened the cost of sending a child to college as a “second mortgage” for a family.

He also spoke of the difficulties first of trying to source accommodation in an “unregulated” sector for his daughters in Sligo, and then of easing the financial burden on them to allow them to concentrate on their studies.

Fine Gael's Trevor Smith said the costs could be the difference between a family sending a child onto third level education or not, with Independent Ireland's Shane P. O'Reilly highlighting the difficulties young people entering apprenticeships face - having to subscribed for course training hundreds of miles from home and he suggested it “should be illegal” for a landlord to ask to be paid by a tenant to hold a room over the summer months.

Celt Survey: Counting the cost

The Celt put the claim made by Fine Gael’s Carmel Brady - that you can sent a child back to school for less than €50 - to the test.

Examining only shops Cavan Town, and setting the examinable parameters at a single child - boy or girl - going into their first year of primary education, this newspaper looked at the cost (cheapest available) of a basic uniform set that includes trousers, jumper, shirt and shoes.

A navy blue cotton V neck jumper from Dunnes Stores comes in at €8, with a slim leg trousers priced at €4.50, a three pack of white polo shirts at €5 and a pair of black runner shoes for €10.

Add then the cost of the cheapest available school bag (€10) and the cost of a school crest stitched onto the jumper (between €10-15 depending) and the price of a new uniform alone for five to six year old can be anywhere between €47.50 and €52.50.

For a girl the floor cost is even slightly higher- with a pinafore priced at €7.50, cardigan at €5, box pleat skirt €9.50, not to mention the most affordable shoes priced at €16. Add a bag and crest and the bill there can stretch anywhere between €48.50 and €50.50.

There are other uniform options to highlight however before some of the more less obvious costs of sending a child back to school become apparent.

Uniformity in Cavan Town sells crested national school jumpers - depending on quality, size, and school - for between €20 (sweatshirt) and €28 (knitted), while Singer has jumpers in-stock for €23 and up.

In Pretty Patterns on Bridge Street, they sell crested school jumpers for €29.95, and shirts and trousers from €6.99 (depending on size).

It has to be noted that many schools require a child to wear a PE top also - an additional €29.95 where applicable.

The examples do not take into account where schools facilitate families donating old uniforms, or the need for a perspex box to hold books, workbooks and materials. The cheapest box found was a 20 litre box with lid for €10 from EuroGiant.

Depending on what path a parent takes on dressing their child, the bill for sending them to school is at its most basic in the region €60.

Now though the hidden costs. The majority of schools, and teacher dependent this time, provide a class stationary list which can include a folder (€2), glue sticks (€1.50), art scissors (€1.50), twistable pencils (€4.50), pencil case and accessories (eraser, ruler etc) which the Celt found for €2.50. Prices vary depending on shop, and many of the items can be reused in years to come.

Lastly, and a cost beyond the tangible is a charge of between €25-30 imposed by schools at the beginning of term, to cover for Arts Crafts and Insurance fees for the academic year, bringing the total lowest back-to-school child cost at nearly double the amount stated by Cllr Brady to just shy of €100* (€95.50).

The debate and survey come in a week that the Irish League of Credit Unions published the results of its annual Back to School survey. It estimates that the cost of sending a primary school pupil to school is €1,450 a year or €1,560 for secondary school parents.

* The Celt figures also doesn’t take account of the cost of school transport if necessary, which is another €50 per child for primary school (capped at €125 for the household) or free if the family has a medical card. Neither does it include a school coat, which is necessary for the winter months or any additional costs that often fall due in September for extra curricular activities such as swimming lessons.