Children in Direct Provision have had to use a parent's phone to stay in touch with teachers
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With the basic cost of sending a child to school remaining too high for many, a nationwide appeal is seeking school supplies to thousands of children living in direct provision.
Back-to-school is a challenging time for many families in direct provision, as the weekly living allowance they receive is €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child.
That’s according to Donnah Vuma of Every Child is Your Child, the Limerick-based group behind the annual appeal.
According to the group, more than 7,200 people live in direct provision, and 30% of them are children.
Now in its fourth year, the back-to-school 'Backpack' drive is seeking help to provide items like uniforms, stationery, books and lunchboxes for children living in almost 40 centres around the country.
Many people in direct provision still don’t have the right to work, according to Ms Vuma.
“It is limited to people who have been in the country for a minimum of nine months, not having received a first decision," she said.
"So many people living in direct provision are dependent on the €38 weekly allowance. For many parents, that would be their only source of income. We then realised that it becomes very challenging or very difficult for parents to be able to meet the costs related to back to school preparations.”
The latest annual Barnardos back to school costs survey found that the pressure of paying for children’s education has not abated this year.
The basic cost of sending a child to school in 2020, while slightly decreasing for parents of primary school children, remains substantial. The average cost of the basics needed for a senior infants pupil is €330, a fourth-class pupil is €365, and a first-year pupil is €735.
While parents in direct provision do qualify for the back-to-school allowance, there’s still a shortfall when it comes to the average costs, according to Ms Vuma.
Children over the age of 12 receive €275 through the allowance, while children under the age of 12 qualify for €150.
This year, remote learning has also brought with it another set of challenges for children in direct provision.
“Most schools are using apps like Class Dojo or Kahoot, all those kinds of resources. If you don't have a tablet, or you don't have a laptop in the household, it would be impossible for you to be able to access that. Many students have had to use their parents cell phones, to keep in touch with their teachers or keep up with their schoolwork, so that has been really difficult.”
Internet coverage and connection has also proven challenging for students. “In most of the centres, the internet is at reception, it doesn’t go as far as the rooms where the residents stay. Oftentimes, kids would have to go and sit in the reception area. It's been tricky because this is a time when we are being told to socially distance, to try and isolate.”
For a full list of items sought visit: everychildireland.org.
Drop off points for donations open Monday and Thursdays, 2pm to 5pm, at Doras, O’Connell Street Limerick, and at the Irish Refugee Council in Dublin. The drive ends on August 15.