Back to school then and now

30 de July, 2018

The months of July and August are synonymous with vacations for most Portuguese families, but also with preparing for the next school year. Because it has been repeated year after year for as long as our individual and collective memory can remember, this preparation is perceived by many as routine.

The association of going back to school with an action that is repeated successively in the months leading up to September is natural. However, the way it is experienced “now” is not the same as “before”. The differences between “before” and “now” are not limited to the fact that notebook covers are now dominated by new age superheroes or Generation Z idols, or that we have gone from exclusivity to a multiplicity of school materials brands, book publishers, bookstores and online textbook sales platforms.

These differences are also and mainly measured by the existence, today, of social benefit vouchers that allow support for the payment of expenses related to education, expenses that, regardless of the new or old times, have a very significant weight in the budget of thousands of families.

The role of social benefit bonds in supporting education expenses

The social benefit vouchers granted by companies to their employees to support their children’s education expenses, whether in the form of checks or cards, have not always benefited from a favorable legal framework in the case of Portuguese legislation, whether for political, economic or social reasons.

However, the role that these vouchers play today is undeniable, not only in the way families manage their “Back to School” budget, but also in the way companies relate to their employees and support their family project. And it is this dual role that is important to reflect on.

According to the School Book Commission of the Portuguese Publishers and Booksellers Association (APEL), in the 2017/2018 school year, the cost of the average basket of textbooks for secondary school, for example, was around €173. In addition to this amount, every year there are other expenses related to school supplies, transportation, school meals, among others. In the case of families with more than one child, the total amount of school expenses can double or triple, scenarios that can condition the quality of life and well-being of families and, in some cases, make them rethink their ideal family project.

The awarding of Social Benefits titles, usually known as Education vouchers, brings with it opportunities to improve the quality of life of families and leverages the possibility of the Portuguese age pyramid increasing its base; but that’s not all. When companies invest in a differentiated Social Benefits Policy, there are also gains in terms of motivation, productivity and the satisfaction of their employees, who value their company’s support and solidarity with them and “theirs”.

Education vouchers

However, the granting of education vouchers by companies remains a non-universal solution, i.e. two employees who have an identical household and annual income can have support for their education expenses depending on the social benefits policy of the companies they work for. This difference can be minimized by laws that promote the tax and social advantages of awarding not only these, but other Social Benefit titles.

A favorable legal framework in the medium to long term will certainly dictate great asymmetries in the “Back to School” not of “now” and “before”, but of “now” and the future.