By DR LISA O’BRIEN
Imagine your child is passionate about a particular subject at school.
You’ve never seen them so excited about learning before. Perhaps it’s the first time they’ve shown a talent in something academic?
Now imagine having to tell your child that he or she can’t take that class because you can’t afford the extra costs that go with it.
Or worse, hearing your child say: “It’s okay Mum, I didn’t want to do it anyway” – as they try to save your feelings because they know you don’t have the money.
Tragically, thousands of Australian families experience challenges like this every day.
We live in a country where we are blessed with an excellent public school system providing free and equal access to families of all backgrounds.
But The Smith Family has been hearing increasingly from financially stretched parents that the costs of attending government schools are becoming a barrier to a comprehensive education.
We’ve heard stories of schools advising children not to choose particular subjects because of the expense.
Of parents seeking personal loans and taking out new credit cards to pay for school-related costs.
Of children having to sit out excursions because families can’t find $30.