Growing price of a ‘free’ education

NZ Herald 9 October 2015
Survey shows families struggling to keep up with schooling’s extra costs.

Half of middle-income parents believe they don’t have enough money for their children’s schooling, as experts warn of the growing costs of modern education going unmet by the state.

The survey, from an inaugural ASG Parents Report Card including 350 Kiwi parents, found that 83 per cent of parents would like more money to spend on their children’s education.

Extra-curriculars or tutoring was too expensive for 44 per cent, while 20 per cent said at least one parent worked two jobs to support their children’s learning.

“This includes more than school fees. It’s about travel, books, uniforms, laptops. The things that play on parents’ minds,” said John Velegrinis, CEO of ASG.

The results, compiled by Australia’s Monash University, follow concerns from experts that education in New Zealand is now heavily reliant on private funding, with middle-income families struggling to keep up, while lower-income families miss out.
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