There must be ‘absolutely no’ pressure put on parents to pay school contributions, the Education Minister has warned.

Norma Foley was speaking after a new St Vincent de Paul study found that nearly nine-in-ten parents cut back on spending in order to pay ‘voluntary’ school contributions.

The survey found the payments can range from €30 to €550 – with claims children are treated differently if parents refuse to pay.

"We are very, very clear. There can be no compelling of parents or guardians to make a contribution to the running of the school – absolutely none."

Norma Foley on the voluntary contributions controversy. pic.twitter.com/TpYpOfcyhb

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) May 31, 2023

This morning, Minister Foley said the Education Act makes it “explicitly clear” that no fees an be charged “for enrolment in school or continued enrolment in school”.

“Voluntary contributions are just that – they are voluntary by their nature,” she said.

“I really, really want to be very clear that no parent, no guardian can be compelled to make a voluntary contribution.

“That is not appropriate and that is not right.”

Minister Foley urged principals who are struggling to run their schools on the budget provided to make direct contact with her department.

She insisted that the department's dedicated Financial Support Services Unit (FFSU) would work on a one-to-one basis with schools, “if they have specific challenges in terms of funding”.

“We are very, very clear. There can be no compelling of parents or guardians to make a contribution to the running of the school,” she said. “Absolutely none.

“Again, I will refer to the Education Act very explicitly saying that no fee can be charged for the enrolment or continued enrolment in the school and that is very important.

“I am asking principals if they have a specific difficulty or a specific challenge that they would make direct contact with the department.”

The study polled 1,447 parents and found that many feel pressurised to make the payments.