Over half of the poorest parents respond in a new survey that co-payment in primary school puts pressure on the family finances.
Katja Franck is a disability pensioner and mother of three. She thinks the many extra costs in primary school are excessive.
By Ida Grøndahl Westh ([email protected]) 30 minutes ago
Shame.
That is the feeling that fills Katja Franck from Tranbjerg outside Aarhus.
She is a disability pensioner, mother of three, and struggles to make ends meet when there are expenses for Halloween parties, pocket money for camp trips, and payments to the class fund in the otherwise free primary school.
> It’s annoying to be the one who says: You can’t do that, because we don’t have the money for it. It’s shameful to say that when you want the very best for your children and give them everything.
And she is not alone. ( https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/foraeldre-har-ondt-i-maven-saa-dyrt-er-det-have-et-barn-i-den-gratis-folkeskole )
In a new Epinion survey conducted for Egmont, over half of the poorest parents, 54 percent, say that the extra costs that come with the school bag put financial pressure on them.
Last year, Katja Franck spent about 2,000 kroner on extra costs for her son’s 8th grade class.
- I often feel that we can fall a bit outside the community when we don’t have as much to work with and constantly have to figure out where to cut back.
In the association Skole og Forældre, which also stands behind the survey, chairperson Regitze Spenner Ishøy recognizes the problem.
- Even though most people might think that 35 kroner for a child’s birthday party isn’t much, it adds up when things keep coming with a small expense. There are some families who really struggle to make everything work.
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A taboo at parent meetings
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Nevertheless, shame clings to Katja Franck. That is also why she is not the one to raise her hand at parent meetings in the class.
- I don’t have the courage to tell them that it’s becoming too much. We just got a message that we need to transfer 410 kroner to the class fund, and I just think: Where am I going to get that money? It’s the children’s Christmas gift budget that gets cut into.
It’s not nice to stand out that way, Katja Franck says.
- It is really taboo to be among those who don’t have much. I feel that I am failing and not measuring up when I see that everyone else can make it work, and we can’t. Even if there are other parents in the class who feel the same way, I don’t know, because they probably don’t want to raise their hand either.
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Voluntary events, but...
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Katja Franck understands that she can just say no to events during free time, but in the end, it affects the children.
- If you are always the one who doesn’t come, you end up outside the community. It’s fine that they have a community at school, but it works completely differently outside school. They can get some great community experiences and memories.
Regitze Spenner Ishøy agrees with her. She also points out that children often can sense that money is tight and therefore withdraw out of consideration for their parents.
- If they withdraw from social communities in advance because they are worried about the family’s finances, it can have a big impact on their overall participation in communities, their well-being in class, and in the teaching.
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No thanks – even when the calendar is empty
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The strained finances have nonetheless forced Katja Franck to say no to events. With the excuse that there were other plans in the calendar, even though it was empty.
- If we choose one event, there’s something else we have to skip.
And it hurts that the small wallet affects the children.
- It’s annoying to be the one who says: You can’t do that, because we don’t have the money for it. It’s shameful to say that when you want the very best for your children and give them everything, says Katja Franck.
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