Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 21 May 2003

Vol. 567 No. 2

Written Answers. - Student Support Schemes.

Paul Nicholas Gogarty

Question:

198 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science if there is scope for providing funding to a scheme similar to a scheme (details supplied) in view of the massive cost to the environment and the demand that exists for affordable second hand school books. [14009/03]

Paul Nicholas Gogarty

Question:

199 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Education and Science if his Department will carry out an investigation into the feasibility of establishing a website to enable students to exchange school books. [14010/03]

Minister for Education and Science (Mr. N. Dempsey)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 198 and 199 together.

I have no plans to develop a website to enable students to exchange school books.

Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second level, mainly in the case of language subjects, school books are not approved or prescribed by my Department at first or second level. Decisions on which books to use are taken at school level. Many schools operate book rental schemes and second-hand book exchanges. I consider that locally operated schemes are the appropriate and efficient way to address this issue.

School authorities have been advised that books should be changed only to the extent that is absolutely necessary. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over frequent changes, primarily in order to minimise increases in the cost burden for parents. However, textbooks have to be changed periodically to enable teachers to keep their own and their students' work educationally stimulating and to ensure that content and methodology are kept up to date. I am satisfied the problem of disposal of unwanted textbooks is minimised to the greatest extent possible by the policies operated by my Department.

My Department operates a grant scheme towards the cost of providing school textbooks for pupils from low-income families in schools at first and second level. For the purposes of these grants, a needy pupil is a pupil from a family where there is genuine hardship because of unemployment, prolonged illness of a parent, large family size with inadequate means, single parenthood, or other family circumstances, such as substance abuse, which would indicate a similar degree of financial hardship. Principal teachers administer the book grant schemes in schools in a flexible way under the terms of the schemes based on their knowledge of particular circumstances in individual cases.