Many primary schools will not be able to pay essential bills for heating, cleaning, water and other basics unless funding is increased significantly in the forthcoming Budget, according to the Irish National Teachers Organisation.
The union, representing more than 25,000 teachers in the State, says many primary schools are "on the breadline" because of vastly increased costs.
John Carr, the union's general secretary, said yesterday: "If schools were businesses many would be bankrupt. Others are being kept afloat by parent contributions and fundraising activities."
Mr Carr said Irish education spending was one of the lowest in the developed world. Primary schools attracted only about a third of total Government education spending, much less than third level.
Primary schools are funded on the basis of the number of pupils in the school, with the Department of Education paying €145.58 a pupil. This money is for essential running costs such as cleaning materials, wages, heat and light and office expenses.
Mr Carr said many parents often raised questions when asked for voluntary contributions or being asked to attend fundraising events.
"They expect the State to provide for free primary education. What they often fail to realise is that schools are not raising money to get additional extras. They are fundraising for the bare necessities.
"I have principals telling me they spend almost as much time on fundraising as they do on leading teaching and learning."
The key points of the INTO submission include:
substantially increased funding to meet greatly increased running costs especially in energy, waste disposal, water charges and cleaning and hygiene;
a substantial increase in funding for secretarial and caretaking employment costs;
the development of a national speech and language therapy service for pupils in primary schools;
The expansion of the National Educational Psychological Service to the numerical strength promised at its establishment;
the development of a school meals service to provide hot school meals for children attending disadvantaged schools.
In its Budget submission, the joint managerial body representing voluntary second-level schools says the department "should immediately put in place open and transparent measures to bring the funding of voluntary second-level schools up to the level of vocational and community/ comprehensive schools".
The group also says the State should meet the full running costs of voluntary schools within the free education.
