Social Democrats TD Jen Cummins has criticised the government for its failure to ease the financial burden of school uniform costs on families.
Deputy Cummins, who is the party’s spokesperson on education, said:
“This is an issue that has been sitting on the desks of successive Ministers for Education for nearly a decade.
“In fact, a circular issued by the Department of Education in April 2017 urged schools to take steps towards affordability and inclusivity in school uniform policies, including the promotion of generic clothing and reduced use of expensive crested items.
“It has been eight years since the Department formally asked schools to consider affordability when choosing uniforms, yet we are still reading stories in 2025 of families being forced to spend hundreds of euros on branded uniforms.
“How many back-to-school seasons need to come and go before the government takes action? In 2017, the Department made clear recommendations. So where is the oversight? Where is the follow through?
“The slow pace of change reflects a broader failure to implement cost-of-living supports in education.
“Education should be free. Yet parents are still being put under huge financial pressure for uniforms, books, so-called voluntary contributions, and transport. This government continues to delay on reforms that would ease these burdens.
“The Social Democrats have long called for a genuinely free and fully inclusive public education system, one where cost is never a barrier to participation.
“The Department needs to act on its own recommendations as families can’t afford to wait any longer for reform.”
June 17, 2025