Parents turn to buy now, pay later schemes to meet soaring school costs

Financial hardship support has not kept pace with the rising cost of uniforms, books, stationery and computers, peak body says

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Parents struggling to afford ballooning school costs are increasingly turning to buy now, pay later providers, and advocates say there needs to be more support from schools to avoid families falling into debt.

Dianne Giblin, the chief executive of the Australian Council of State School Organisations, said an increasing number of families say they have used buy now, pay later to afford school items as the cost of public education blows “out of proportion”.

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