A NEW school year has come with financial burdens for many Wimmera families.
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Parents sending their children to a government school in regional Victoria are paying on average $53,672 across 13 years of schooling, data from the ASG Planning for Education Index says.
For children attending a Catholic school in regional Victoria, the estimated cost for a prep to year 12 education is $103,098.
Uniting Wimmera’s acting client engagement and ChildFIRST manager Louise Smith said January was a difficult month for many families in the region. She said private rental costs had increased significantly and farming families were faced with the impacts of drought.
Ms Smith said the organisation had helped 120 families afford the material costs of education, in collaboration with Wimmera schools.
“We are coming off the back of Christmas where finances have been stretched, then there is the added burden of schooling costs such as fees, uniform and school books in the lead-up to term one," she said.
“This adds an extra layer of stress to a lot of families that are already doing it tough.
“We encourage families to get in touch for support before their situation escalates, we can then guide them to the relevant supports to help get them back on their feet."
Horsham West and Haven Primary School principal Andrew Parry said there were families who struggled with the financial burden, but the school had focused on keeping fees and on-costs to a minimum.
“We work hard to be efficient as possible with costings handed onto parents,” he said. “But we do see families struggling and we encourage them to talk to us when there is a financial burden. There are organisations to assist them to ensure their child has equality with all the other students.
“As a school we work hard to make sure students have an equal standing with other children in the school.”
Horsham’s Ss Michael and John’s Primary School principal Andrea Cox said there was a “big disparity” in the cost of education and facilities available for regional schools.
She said it was difficult to access extra-curricular experiences for all regional schools compared to metropolitan areas.
Ms Cox said the school had helped families access the support they needed to ensure their children had a Catholic education.
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