Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister of State for taking this on behalf of the Minister for Education and Youth. Listening to him respond to the last matter, I understand his passion for primary schools, which we all share. Primary schools are at the hub of all our communities and we often marvel at the work done by principals in primary schools who not only are they leading in the education of the children in the schools, but they are responsible, essentially, for being project managers within the school as well. Schools get paid a capitation grant to manage their day-to-day operations and some people wonder what that goes towards. It covers everything from cleaning to electricity, sanitary wear, water, insurance, heating, the school website, security, the fire alarm, the photocopier, waste disposal, accounting and telephone costs. Everything in a normal household or business is managed, effectively, within the school community.

The challenge, as the Minister of State knows well, is those costs have been continuing to rise. In the current school year the capitation payment to primary schools is €200 but it is to increase from this September to €224. However, because of cost-of-living increases announced in the budget last year primary schools received an extra €36 per student in the 2024-2025 school year. Consequently, in real terms the capitation grant for the 2024-2025 year, including the cost-of-living allowance per pupil, was €236, whereas in the coming year it will be €224. While the core grant has certainly increased by 12% and that is welcome, without the cost-of-living provision being made primary schools will be operating on less money in net terms.

I am not going to say second level schools are adequately funded when it comes to capitation either, as they need additional resources. However, the per pupil allocation from this September for second level students is €386. I get that second level students are a bit bigger, but we are still often talking about broadly the same footprint and the same responsibilities that have to be managed within the school. That there is such a disparity - and every time there is a welcome increase that disparity grows - begs the question as to why that difference exists. What we have seen is an increased reliance by our primary schools on voluntary contributions and ones from the wider community. That contributes to a greater disparity between schools.

Schools that are better at fundraising, particularly if they are in better-off areas, are much more able to generate income to carry out what is the day to day work of a school. I also raise a question on capitation. I get that it is per head. There is no regard to the physical size of the school or the type of building it is. If you are operating in a really old school that is hard to heat, as opposed to a modern school, your heating costs are far more substantial. There is a need for an overall review to look at the full economic cost of running our primary schools, but there is a question about why the disparity continues between primary and second level.

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