Voluntary contributions paid by parents to schools should be completely scrapped, the National Parents' Council has urged. 

The contributions vary from school to school and typically range from €200 to €400 per household. 

Over the years there have been periodic calls for the contribution to be scrapped and replaced by state funding - a demand the National Parents' Council is now backing. 

“The voluntary contribution we believe should be scrapped entirely and schools should get proper funding to run the day to day costs of running the schools,” CEO Áine Lynch told Newstalk. 

“I think that’s a really important cost because it’s quite significant in some schools and it can often be for very core expenses like heating and light. 

“So we feel that the capitation grant needs to be increased so we can just scrap voluntary contributions completely.” 

With the cost of living soaring, the Government has announced it will increase the Back To School Allowance paid to 124,000 families by €100. 

The huge cost of school uniforms is another contentious factor - with one parent suggesting their complete abolition would save families “massive money” every year. 

However, Ms Lynch said the end of the contribution would also be a significant help to families struggling to pay their bills: 

“The cost of living crisis that we’re currently experiencing adds to the pressure that families are under with the back to school costs,” she continued. 

“And remember with the back to school costs, there are a number of costs around that that all come at the same time. 

“Parents often have more than one child, so it’s multiplied by the amount of children they have. 

“So it’s really becoming a more significant issue for parents.”

Main image: Children in a classroom. Picture by: Universal Images Group North America LLC / Alamy Stock Photo