Parents feeling the financial strain as schools increasingly request laptops for students are turning to the government for support.

Since last September, a government initiative has ensured that secondary students receive their school books free of charge.

However, Jennifer Whitmore, a prominent member of the Social Democrats, has urged Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton to broaden the Free Education Scheme to encompass the laptops essential for digital learning.

Whitmore highlighted the difficulties parents face as the cost of living rises, noting that they are now being urged by schools to purchase computers for their children.

The Wicklow representative further explained that families are being pushed into considering unaffordable loans to meet these demands for laptops.

One concerned parent from Bray shared that they were summoned to a meeting at their local school, where they were informed that laptops would be necessary for students in the senior years.

Mother of three Katrina Melican told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘We were told the senior cycle is changing. This is the way it is going and if we were worried about cost, we were told there was a gentleman from the credit union there and he would assist.

‘We were told we can’t use our own laptop. These were specially designed, specially formatted.’

Ms Melican said the significant extra cost of buying laptops for her children ‘is a huge amount of money for many families struggling already to make ends meet’.

She said that while the credit union ‘is trying to be helpful’, there is a danger ‘we are creating a two-tier education system’.

Mother of three Katrina Melican said the significant extra cost of buying laptops for her children ‘is a huge amount of money for many families struggling already to make ends meet’

The working mother told the MoS: ‘Parents are being asked to shoulder yet another cost in what is already an extremely difficult time for families across Ireland.’

She acknowledged the Government has take ‘positive steps in recent years by introducing free schoolbooks’ but called for this support to be extended to cover ‘essential technology now required for learning’.

Ms Melican added: ‘Until the Government can ensure that all students have equal access to the necessary technology, the rollout of any curriculum changes that depend on personal laptops should be paused.

‘Education is a right, not a privilege. Parents should not be forced to choose between meeting basic household needs and funding their child’s education.

‘If this continues, we risk creating a system where access to education increasingly depends on a family’s ability to pay — something that has no place in a fair and equal society.’

Jennifer Whitmore said families are being asked to fork out ‘up to €700 per child for laptops during a cost-of-living crisis’, which she described as ‘an unimaginable fee for those already digging deep to provide an education for their kids’. 

She told the MoS: ‘For working parents already stretched to breaking point by soaring rents, unassailable grocery costs, eye-watering energy bills and ever-increasing childcare costs, this isn’t about choice or flexibility.

Jennifer Whitmore told the Irish Mail on Sunday that families are being asked to fork out ‘up to €700 per child for laptops during a cost-of-living crisis’

‘It is simply another bill stacked on top of the others they already cannot afford.’

The opposition TD said families ‘are quietly being pushed further and further into financial instability just to provide for their children’. 

And she warned: ‘If access to learning depends on who can afford the latest technology, education will be turned into a privilege rather than a right.’

In response to Ms Whitmore’s queries, Hildegarde Naughton said the €170million free schoolbooks scheme ‘continues to benefit almost one million children’.

The minister said the initiative is ‘helping to ease the financial burden facing families at back-to-school time’.

But in response to calls for the scheme to be extended to laptops, she said ‘decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the board of management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning’.

The minister added: ‘Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community, including parents, when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices with cost and other implications.

‘The most recent tranche of funding of €35million was issued to all recognised primary, special schools and post-primary schools in January 2026.

‘Funding can be used on ICT infrastructure as required in the schools and can provide for loan schemes for devices for students as appropriate.’

However, Ms Whitmore criticised what she described as the minister’s ‘complacent’ response. 

She added: ‘While the Department of Education pats itself on the back for providing free schoolbooks and shiny new ICT grants, the reality for many parents tells a story of struggle, of a complete lack of support from the State.’

In response to queries, the Department of Education said it ‘is aware of the financial pressures faced by families and has instructed schools to work closely with parents to ensure costs are kept reasonable’.

A spokesman said: ‘Schools are advised to avoid expensive branded items where they can, and to give parents clear information on what is required, including advice on best-value options.’

The department noted that €200million has been ‘committed’ for ICT investment in schools ‘under the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027’.

The spokesman said: ‘Schools must use this funding for ICT, such as networks, classroom technology, software, and shared student devices. 

‘The money goes directly to schools, allowing them to decide what best meets their students’ needs. This can include setting up device loan schemes where appropriate.’