Families battling rising education costs forced to choose which child will miss out

RISING education costs are forcing a vast number of Australian families to choose between children when it comes to who goes to private school, exclusive research shows.

Yuliana Hartanto works long hours to pay for private school. Picture: Richard Dobson

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THE financial squeeze caused by rising education costs is forcing a vast number of Australian families to choose between their children when it comes to who goes to private school, exclusive new research has shown.

Parents are also being forced to sacrifice basic lifestyle choices such as holidays and renovations, as they put a growing amount of income towards private education.

In total, more than eight in 10 parents who send their kids to private schools say they are making “significant” financial sacrifices in order to pay the fees at these schools, according to a comprehensive new education survey of 1000 parents conducted by top research firm Core­Data for Real Insurance.

This is forcing many into brutal financial decisions, according to the study, conducted exclusively for The Saturday Telegraph.

Remarkably, a third of parents who covet a private education now say that at least one of their kids will not go to ­private schools because of ­financial constraints.

More than 90 per cent of parents who send their kids to private school do so because they believe their children will benefit from “better values, morals and character”.

In the capital cities, particularly Sydney and Melbourne, fees at many private schools now top $30,000 a year, and are subject to annual price rises that are often well in excess of inflation.

These types of costs for private education are taking their toll on lifestyle options that many in middle Australia would regard as necessities. The study shows half of parents who send their kids to private schools are sacrificing entertainment, dining out and holidays.

One in three are downscaling home renovations or repairs, and one in six are working multiple jobs.

Meanwhile, more than 90 per cent of parents who send their kids to private school do so because they believe their children will benefit from “better values, morals and character”.

But a similar proportion of parents who send their kids to government schools say a public education will give their kids better “life preparedness”.

The research also shows that the school fees themselves are only part of the ­aspirational cost of going to private schools.

Two in three families who covet a private education say the best time to start their children in these schools is kindergarten

Many families surveyed said at certain exclusive private schools they were forced to pay many thousands of dollars for extra-curricular activities, such as “overseas excursions”, expensive sporting equipment, and even “winter school” terms for some schools in places like the Snowy Mountains.

Apart from the private school fees themselves, there are also costs to pay just to go on a waiting list.

One in five parents in the study said they had their children on multiple waiting lists, with the average amount lost on these lists by Australian families adding up to more than $500 per child.

Additionally, two in three families who covet a private education say the best time to start their children in these schools is kindergarten, leaving them subject to 13 years of hefty school fees.

The study has found that private school kids spend an average 10 hours a week on homework, while public school kids spend just under seven hours. But public school parents spend more time helping kids with homework than their private school counterparts.

Demographer Bernard Salt said children were increasingly aware of the financial sacrifices parents were making for their private education. “I wonder how much pressure the kids feel if they see their parents scrimping and saving,” he said.

TALE OF TWO DAUGHTERS’ EDUCATION

BUSINESS analyst Yuliana Hartanto from Castle Hill in northwestern Sydney epitomises middle Australia’s battle to ensure their kids have the best education possible — sometimes on the edge of their financial means.

Ms Hartanto has faced an unenviable financial dilemma on her two daughters’ education: which to send to private school, and which to send to public.

Yuliana Hartanto with daughters Felicia and Sienna. Picture: Richard Dobson

Her eldest daughter Felicia, 13, is in Year 8 at Mount St Benedict Catholic school in Pennant Hills, costing $11,000 a year. But younger daughter, Sienna, 10, is in Year 5 at Ironbark Ridge Public, after this year returning to the government system from a local private school.

“As a single mum, I can’t afford both of them in private school,” Ms Hartanto said.

And her recent divorce has meant that even for one kid, it is a struggle to afford private education: “My child support doesn’t take into account private school.”

Ms Hartanto had to approach Mount St Benedict to discuss a “viable payment plan”.

“They were happy to offer one. They asked me for the minimum I could afford, and offered a period I could pay. I am now paying weekly instalments to the school.”

And how has Sienna coped with the transition back to public education? “She’s actually very happy,” she says. “She’s in the opportunity class.”