Every year for as long as Pricewatch can remember, we have devoted at least one page each summer to back-to-school issues. This summer, parents and schoolchildren are facing a return like no other with huge logistical obstacles still to be overcome, and uncertainty and fear everywhere.
Memories of the first day at school at St Olaf’s NS, Balally Drive, Dundrum, Dublin 16. Photograph: Nick BradshawFor many years now, the starting gun for the back-to-school season has been started by the children’s charity with the publication of surveys outlining the costs associated with Ireland’s supposedly free education system. Each year it outlines how hard pressed parents can expect to be and highlight ways the burden could be eased.
There are serious question marks over the educational merit of e-books and tablets. Photograph: iStockWe still don’t know if e-readers and tablets are in the best interests of children. While they are interactive and light and have been adopted by many schools, they come at a cost. Parents won’t have much change out of €700, in some instances. There are also serious question marks as to their educational merit.