Parents contributed €116m to Irish schools in five years

Parents have paid more than €116 million in voluntary contributions to Irish schools between September 2020 and June 2025, prompting renewed calls for full state funding of education.

The Department of Education data show that schools received €116,609,799 in voluntary payments over the five‑year period, including over €24.1 million in the 2024/25 school year alone.

According to a Barnardos back‑to‑school survey for 2026, the average amount requested by schools was €83 in primary and €128 in post‑primary, with over 80 % of parents reporting that their child’s school asked for a contribution. Two‑thirds of primary‑school parents (67 %) and 69 % of secondary‑school parents said the payment did not feel voluntary.

Annual figures show contributions of €22.8 million in 2020/21, €23.1 million in 2021/22, €23.6 million in 2022/23 and €22.7 million in 2023/24. The amount for 2025/26 has not yet been released.

Labour education spokesman TD Eoin Kenny, who received the figures via a parliamentary question, warned that the scale of parental payments should be a “wake‑up call” for the Government to increase capitation grants and end reliance on voluntary contributions.

In response, Minister for Education Hildegarde Naughton reiterated that contributions must remain voluntary and that no pupil should be disadvantaged for not paying. The 2027 budget includes a €17 million increase in capitation grants, while primary school bodies have highlighted that 71 % of primary schools ran a deficit last year, with an average shortfall of €8,288.

Source: Irish Examiner. Photo: Nasirun Khan / Pexels.