TIROLER ZEITUNG "Editorial" from August 8, 2023 by Beate Troger "Education must not be a question of money"

2023-08-07 20:00:35

Innsbruck (OTS) – The high cost of school supplies is a huge burden for many middle-class families. A reform that allows utensils to be bought centrally and thus more cheaply is overdue and would relieve parents – not just financially.

The madness usually begins on the testimony day. In the same clear plastic sleeve as the performance appraisal, many children bring home a long shopping list of things they will need in the fall. Three blue envelopes here, notebooks in different sizes there, as well as an ultra-fine hair brush, work case, gym shoes, compasses and much more. According to the motto “After the school year is before the school year”, tens of thousands of parents are sent individually to the consumer stress between the discounter and the stationery store. It is well known that the many little things and the larger investments add up. And that in a year when inflation exceeded the double-digit percentage range, school materials also became massively more expensive is not at all surprising.
Fortunately, support is available for those who need it most. But unfortunately it’s not enough, because countless families are looking through their fingers. These are the ones in which the parents’ income is only just above the limit for subsidies. Those who have to pay off a home loan with sharply increased interest rates. Those who compare prices every day when shopping in the supermarket. And much more.
It is precisely for them that working through the said shopping list becomes a gauntlet run. You have to weigh up between flyers and umpteen pseudo special offers, as well as between urgent necessity and sustainable quality. No mother or father wants to have to cut corners when it comes to their children’s education. After all, every expense for the school is seen as an investment in the future prospects of the youngest.
But if too many families can hardly afford the everyday things for school, politicians are forced to act. Hopefully, in times of need, there will be room for a constructive debate about reform. There are many approaches. What the City of Vienna has achieved, namely making basic materials such as notebooks, pens, ink cartridges and folders available to all compulsory school students free of charge, should also be feasible in other federal states. Occasionally, some Tyrolean schools are already buying the utensils together and thus buying them much cheaper with a lot of volume discounts. But they are in the minority – for now.
Admittedly, there are a lot of bigger construction sites in education than the procurement of pencils. But maybe new paths and big projects start with a first small step that can relieve many parents.