Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 October 2023
263. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education what provision is being made to secondary schools to administer the new free school books scheme for junior cycle (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45250/23]
View answerAs Minister for Education, I believe it is crucially important that children and young people are actively supported to access education in its fullest forms. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry for many Irish families.
As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over €50 million to provide free schoolbooks in recognised primary schools and special schools. This was a landmark moment in Irish education and one that furthers our goal to provide free education for all and ensure that every child can benefit from free education.
The introduction of this measure directly addressed our commitment under the Programme for Government to commence a free schoolbooks scheme pilot in September 2020 and expand the scheme to schools nationwide, as resources allow.
To further the delivery of our important government commitment, last week I announced that funding is allocated under Budget 2024 to extend the free schoolbooks scheme to all students in junior cycle years in public post primary schools. The total funding available for this extension of the scheme is €67 million.
It is estimated that up to 213,000 students, in over 670 schools across all counties, will benefit from this new measure, which will commence from September 2024.
In recognition of the work required in schools associated with implementing this scheme, my Department intends to put in place a grant payment, for schools, for administrative support.
The Administrative Support Grant for the roll out of junior cycle free books will be similar to the support my Department provided to primary schools earlier this year whereby a grant was provided to the school to employ an individual or individuals to work for a specified number of days to carry out the administrative work on the scheme. Although the rate is based on a daily rate, schools had the autonomy to use the equivalent hours over the course of the months leading up to the start of the school year as they consider most suitable for their own needs.
Although there are book rental schemes with mature administration systems in place in many post-primary schools already, for the successful rollout of the junior cycle free schoolbooks scheme, I am conscious that post-primary schools will need to receive support for the administration of the scheme. My Department will develop detailed guidance for schools around the implementation of the scheme and this guidance will include details on how the administrative support grant will be calculated for each post-primary school.
As Minister for Education, I am acutely aware of the various costs faced by families upon the return of their children to school each September and am confident that this new provision will further and significantly reduce the back to school financial burden for many families. I am also aware that schools play a vital role in achieving this goal and I want to ensure that they will be supported to implement the scheme in a way that has the best learning outcomes for junior cycle students.
