Limerick City Council is to write to the Minister for Education in a bid to see if she will help ease the huge burden on families of back-to-school costs.
Aontú Cllr Sarah Beasley brought forward a Motion at the recent meeting of the local authority urging that, from 2026 onwards, school emblems be made available for purchase independently of full school uniforms.
Cllr Beasley says.
“The stress and strain of getting children back to school was even more acute this year given we’re in the teeth of a desperate cost of living crisis.
When the humble pound of butter is now a luxury for so many families, the high cost of school uniforms had so many families I deal with at breaking point.
One lady told me she didn’t sleep for weeks as she was at her wits end to know where the money would come from.
The current back-to-school clothing allowance, while helpful, simply isn’t enough for very many families. High uniform costs create huge financial strain, and some families just over the income threshold are denied support altogether. Many parents who struggle to afford basic necessities are forced to buy multiple sets of uniforms due to wear and tear and the constant need for washing.
They just can’t keep up, it’s desperate for them”.
I have always believed that generic uniforms could be embossed with the individual school crests and emblems, and these should be made available separately to allow people buy more affordable uniforms.
The benefits of this would make a huge difference to struggling families.
They would have far more choice in where to buy which would obviously serve to lower prices.
It would also serve to help local business in Limerick as more shops would be far more open to stocking basic uniform items which in turn means more competitively priced items. This would support local shops, local jobs and our local economy, and do away with uniforms being perhaps exclusive to one shop.
More affordable uniforms would give families the chance of purchasing two school uniforms which is totally out of the question for so many at present.
Also, if the emblems and crests could be sewn onto the garments, this would go a long way toward alleviating the stigma many face around wearing second hand clothes.
Helping families is an issue I am passionate about, and I very much welcome my fellow councillors supporting this motion”.
