Reduce the costs to parents of Irelands ‘Free’ education

Pettion to Minister for Education and Skills- Jan O'Sullvan.

I ask the Minister Jan O'Sullivan to invest more in free education, reducing costs on families, by implementing the following:

Provide allowances towards text books for all children.

Forbid publishing companies changing textbooks every year, printing new editions with no logical reason.

Reduce/eliminate the use of workbooks, which cannot be reused.

Reduce the amount of books on the given curriculum- to reduce the schoolbag weight which children carry to/from school.

Provide free transport or offer grants to cover all costs of school transport.

Abolish the voluntary contribution and classroom resources fees, enforced on parents.

Subsidise all school uniforms and encourage all schools to adopt generic uniforms instead of crested items from specialised shops. 

Issue guidelines to schools to end the practice of using a single uniform supplier, enabling parents to shop around for uniforms.  If schools decide to change their uniform, for example with a new emblem or colour, changes should be restricted to one or two items, preferably with sew-on logos.