Cost of Education

Conference asserts that it is a fundamental principle of our public services that they are free at the point of use and, that educational experiences that promote opportunity and achievement should not be determined by an ability to pay.     

Conference believes that the following practices in schools are unacceptable:  

•             pressurising parents and carers to make ‘voluntary contributions’;  

•             requiring parents and carers to purchase expensive technologies to enable pupils to engage with the curriculum;  

•             unacceptably expensive school uniforms;  

•             compulsory purchase of expensive sport gear and equipment;  

•             requiring parents and carers to pay for educational/curriculum based trips.     

Conference calls on the Northern Ireland Committee of the ICTU to campaign for:  

•             adequate funding for all schools;  

•             a ban on policies which require parents and carers to provide technology to be used in school;  

•             an increase to the school uniform grant to cover sports gear;  

•             an immediate end to exclusive deals with suppliers of uniforms and sports gear.