asked the Minister for Education if he will ensure that when text-books are being selected for primary schools his Department will endeavour to preclude books which have to be changed each year, and thereby enable books to be passed on for the use of other members of families.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - School Text-Books.
I would refer the Deputy to my reply to a somewhat similar question on the 17th November, 1954, put to me by another Deputy. As I then said: "It will be appreciated that it is desirable on educational grounds that the same text-books should not be used indefinitely in national or secondary schools. The unnecessary changing of books is, however, discouraged by my Department."
A notice in the following terms is now included in the list of approved books which is sent each year to managers and principal teachers of national schools:—
"To save parents undue expense, care should be taken to see that schoolbooks are not changed too frequently. Where a class is taught as a separate unit, the same books should be kept in use for a number of years, unless there are special reasons for changing them. A similar arrangement should, as far as possible, be adopted where two or more classes are grouped for teaching purposes. In such groups pupils will require fresh reading matter and possibly a change of reader also for their second year in the group, but other text-books should not be changed unless when absolutely necessary. The same readers and text-books should be used in the group every third year at least."
Can the Minister tell me how that recommendation is enforced by his Department?
I am afraid we have no method of enforcing it. It is merely a recommendation. We look to the teachers of both national and secondary schools to implement it.
Would the Minister not consider making it an order?
I will consider the matter.
asked the Minister for Education whether, with a view to reducing the cost of schoolbooks for parents of school-going children, he will investigate the possibility of the use of paper of a quality inferior to that now being used in the manufacture of such books.
The preparation and publishing of schoolbooks is not undertaken by the Department of Education but by private firms. My Department is, of course, concerned to secure that these books shall be made available at the lowest possible cost. It is important, however, in the interests of the children that schoolbooks shall be printed in clear type on good paper and firmly bound, especially since it is officially recommended that schoolbooks should not be changed too frequently in order that they may be utilised by other members of a family in later school years. In the circumstances, I do not think that the use of inferior paper would achieve the economy to the parents which the Deputy has in mind.