Columnist says school app has made parents unpaid school administrators
Columnist Lisa Brady expresses frustration about being excessively involved in the administrative management of her two daughters' schooling, effectively serving as their unpaid personal assistant. She argues this level of involvement is neither good for her nor her children, highlighting how the Aladdin app—used by over 2,900 Irish primary schools—has amplified parental administrative burden rather than reducing it as intended.
Brady describes the Aladdin "anxiety" caused by constant notifications about upcoming forms, permissions and school events, which often turn out to be pre-notices about paperwork rather than actionable information. She notes the irony that the digital platform designed to eliminate paperwork instead creates additional pressure and a permanent digital record of parental failures, whilst observing that mothers disproportionately bear this administrative load compared to fathers, as evidenced by limited male participation in class WhatsApp groups.
- Parent frustrated with Aladdin app amplifying rather than reducing school administrative burden
- Digital notifications create anxiety and permanent records rather than simplifying parenting
- Mothers still shoulder most childcare administration despite modern equality advances
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “LISA BRADY: I’m sick of being my tweens unpaid PA and of having to read a message about a future message… Why can’t we just ditch Aladdin and go back to a note at the bottom of the schoolbag?”.