Vol. 537 No. 5
61 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Science if his attention has been drawn to the financial impediments to participation in education for many low income families due to the high costs of books and uniforms for students entering second level education; if he will take immediate steps to ensure that financial supports are substantially increased to reflect the costs of school participation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17294/01]
I am very concerned to ensure that the impact of the cost of school books and uniforms for children from low income families is minimised to the greatest extent possible.
Individual school authorities are responsible for drawing up school rules, including requirements in relation to wearing school uniforms. The formulation of school policy for wearing a uniform should allow for prior consultation with teachers, parents and pupils, where appropriate. Equally, such policies should also allow for feedback from parents and for any concerns about issues such as cost to be raised.
The back to school footwear and clothing allowance, available through the community welfare officers of the health boards, is designed to assist certain recipients of social welfare and health board payments with the cost of children's school uniforms and footwear. My Department is represented on the group, which is currently reviewing this allowance as part of the ongoing civil service wide series of expenditure reviews.
I am aware that costs associated with the purchase of school books can place a financial burden on parents. To alleviate this burden, my Department operates a scheme of aid towards the cost of school books for second level pupils from low income families. Principal teachers administer the scheme in schools in a flexible way, based on their knowledge of particular circumstances in individual cases. I appreciate the sensitive, responsive and resourceful manner in which the management and staff of schools, particularly the principals, operate the scheme.
A consultancy report, which was submitted to my Department in 1993, dealt with the factors which contribute to the cost of school textbooks. The main conclusion of the report was that book rental schemes are the most practical way of limiting the cost of schoolbooks to parents. The report, copies of which were sent to all schools, contains a number of useful suggestions, including a code of good practice, for the successful operation of book rental schemes. My Department endorses the recommendations and urges school authorities to put in place book rental schemes to the greatest extent possible. My Department also provides seed capital towards the costs of establishing book rental schemes in disadvantaged schools.
At second level, in 2000, a total of £4.5 million was allocated in aid towards the cost of schoolbooks.
Will the Minister accept it is clear that he does not regard this as a priority area, given that there are recommendations from a review group in 1993 which have not been implemented seven years later? Is the Minister aware of what it costs to send a child to secondary school? The Labour Party did a study on that last year and found that the average cost of a uniform is £379 for a child going to a voluntary secondary school, and the assistance available from the State is a mere £78. I put it to the Minister that in relation to school books, the average cost for a child starting secondary school is £233, and the assistance available through the antiquated scheme set up more than 100 years ago, the school books for needy pupils scheme, has not been brought up to date to go some way towards meeting the real cost of sending a child to school.
The other opportunity for assisting people with the high costs of school and thereby enabling people to participate at a better rate is the book rental scheme. Will the Minister tell us what precisely he has done in recent years to extend that scheme which has great potential, as pointed out by the review group? What additional money has the Minister put into that scheme and what efforts is he making to ensure that schools participate in the scheme in order to facilitate those students from low income backgrounds? We have talked before about the hopelessly low levels of children from disadvantaged areas who participate in third level. It is clear that unless people can afford to start and continue through secondary school, there is no chance of them staying on to third level. Will the Minister tell us now what, if anything, is he doing to assist people with the huge financial costs, particularly of children starting in secondary school?
The back to school footwear and clothing allowance has been increased in the budget this year and is increased each year. The allocation for necessitous pupils, through the principals of schools, has also been increased.
Twenty per cent of the cost.
Please allow the Minister to continue without interruption.
The code of practice has been circulated and I know from my experience that some schools arrange a much more effective costing system. The Deputy spoke of an average cost but the schools I have dealt with are not dealing with the average cost. They work out a system in which the parents are involved and they do not run into the same high costs that occur in other schools.
What about the average cost for voluntary secondary schools?
Parents in some of those schools set fairly high standards in terms of that cost.
