Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I welcome the Minister of State. The junior cycle book scheme was published on 5 March 2024. It provides free books to second level students up to junior certificate, excluding fee-paying schools.

Under Article 42.4 of the Constitution, the State has a duty to supplement and give reasonable aid to private and corporate educational initiatives. To the extent that reasonable aid is provided, it must be applied universally, equally and without discrimination. However, this scheme by its nature is discriminating against parents who choose to send their children to fee-paying schools. It is hard to see how this is not contrary to the Constitution.

While some families may choose to spend their money on cars or multiple holidays, some focus their family expenditure on education. For families who make this prudent financial decision, it seems that our Government is not supportive of such parents and choose not to treat all children of the nation equally. The discrimination against fee-paying parents is further highlighted by the recent announcement that ICT funding is to be reinstated to schools, with fee-paying schools only being provided a 50% funding rate. This is another example of the Government not treating children equally. It seems the Government is of the impression that all fee-paying students are from a privileged background, which is not the case in many cases. Families make sacrifices to provide the best opportunity they can for their children's education.

Another criticism of the scheme revolves around the negative impact on the book retail industry in Ireland. In September 2023 The Irish Times reported that Eason's revenue was down by €2.5 million due to the scheme. An industry representative group called Bookselling Ireland stated the scheme was extremely challenging for the industry. If big retailers note a negative knock-on effect, small retailers will be lucky to stay open. Poor Government planning is on full display with the gross failures of this scheme as there is little consideration for the impact on fee-paying parents and industries. The Constitution acknowledges that the family is the primary and natural educator of the child and that parents are free to choose. It is a great shame that people are discriminated against for positive investment in their children's education, and that the book retail industry is at risk.

Seán Kyne (Fine Gael)
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Before I invite the Minister of State, I welcome the pupils and teachers of St. John's National School in Longford to the Seanad Chamber. I hope they enjoy the day here.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The Senator will be aware that the Department of Education's 2023-25 statement of strategy sets out its vision for an education system that is of the highest quality where every member of our educational community, including our children and young people, their families and all the staff who engage with them, feel valued and supported. It sets out a goal to ensure equity of opportunity in our education system so that all children and young people are supported to fulfil their potential. The Minister for Education is committed to continued development and improvement in the education sector through delivery of the strategic goals of the statement of strategy.

As part of budget 2024 the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced more than €68 million to provide free books and core classroom resources for junior cycle students within the free education scheme from September 2024. This significant investment further reflects this Government's commitment to a quality and inclusive school system with improved learning outcomes for every student. This Government recognises that the cost of preparing children for school each September can be a cause of financial difficulty and worry to many Irish families. This free junior cycle schoolbook scheme will eliminate the costs to these families for all school books and core classroom resources at junior cycle.

As with the free primary school books scheme implemented in 2023, this scheme further delivers on the programme for Government commitment to extend the free school book pilot which ran in more than 100 DEIS primary schools over three years to the end of the 2022-23 school year, as resources permit. For the 2024-25 school year, the junior cycle schoolbook scheme will benefit more than 213,000 students in approximately 670 post-primary schools including students enrolled in junior cycle programmes of over 65 recognised special schools.

On 5 March the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced details of the scheme. Comprehensive guidance to support schools in implementing the scheme was published and issued to all eligible post-primary schools. The funding issued in March to all eligible post-primary schools and special schools to purchase all school books and core classroom resources for their students in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year. The scheme will seek to ensure that value for money is achieved and that schools will be supported to implement the scheme in a way that has the best learning outcomes for students. As with the primary school scheme, the Department has put in place grant payments for schools for administrative support for the 2024-25 school year. The Department is also providing additional bespoke procurement support to ensure the scheme will be implemented in time for the start of the new school year.For senior cycle students, the Department of Education will continue to provide a book grant in respect of senior cycle students in all recognised post-primary schools, within the free education scheme, to provide assistance for books, including book rental schemes. Schools participating in the Department's DEIS programme will continue to receive an enhanced rate of post-primary book grant for senior cycle students. Guidelines for developing textbook rental schemes in schools were published in 2012 by the Department and are still applicable in post-primary schools. These guidelines outline the books are owned by the school and should be returned by students at the end of the school year, and books are expected to be returned in good condition.

The Government believes that education should provide equality of opportunity to all. As with the funding provided in respect of the primary schoolbooks scheme, the funding provided under budget 2024 is specifically to provide free schoolbooks to students in junior cycle years in post-primary schools in the free education scheme from 2024.

Schools in the free education scheme are paid a range of grants based on a school's enrolment and may also apply for funding towards the cost of capital works. What differentiates fee-charging schools from all other post-primary schools is their capacity to raise funds through mandatory fees, while in receipt of Exchequer funding. The fees charged are mandatory in that initial admission to the fee-charging school or ongoing participation is contingent on the payment of fees.

Fee-charging post-primary schools are not grant funded in relation to book schemes. Book schemes in fee-charging post-primary schools are, therefore, a matter for the school's board of management.

In relation to supports provided by the Department to fee-charging schools, teachers are allocated to fee-charging post-primary schools on the basis of a pupil teacher ratio of 23:1. In early April, the Minister, Deputy Foley, announced funding to support digital learning in schools. Fee-charging schools will receive funding at a rate of 50%, that is, €1,000 lump sum and €23 per capita.

To assess the ongoing requirements of the junior cycle schoolbooks scheme post 2024-2025 school year, the Department is requesting all post-primary schools to complete and submit an income and expenditure report in respect of the 2024-2025 school year.

I am acutely aware of the various costs faced by families upon the return of their children to school each September. This important new permanent measure will significantly reduce the back-to-school financial burden for many families which have students enrolled in junior cycle years.

Sharon Keogan (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive answer.

While parents send their children to private schools, they continue to pay taxes that support the overall education system. No child should be discriminated against, as far as I am concerned. The allocation of public funds for education reflects the Government's priorities, societal values and the need to balance the complete demand for resources. These are parents and children are equal stakeholders in the education sector. As policymakers, we need to evaluate the implications on education's funding decisions on equity, access and the overall quality of education for all of our children and all of the students in education, and that includes the children within fee-paying education.

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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The introduction of the junior cycle schoolbook scheme is another historic moment in Irish education and helps us to live up to the promise of free education.

I want to thank the Senator for raising this Commencement matter and emphasise the significance of the funding for this ground-breaking scheme. I also want to acknowledge the enormous amount of work that has taken place since the scheme was announced in March to ensure that children and young people in junior cycle programmes in both mainstream post-primary in the free education scheme and in recognised special schools will have additional schoolbooks and classroom resources in place for the start of the year.

There are a number of other measures in place to support families in those back-to-school needs in terms of the back-to-school clothing and footwear scheme and the school meals programme. Certainly, it is not discriminatory at all and there are supports there for fee-paying schools.

This has been a transformative and ground-breaking scheme and certainly will help many thousands of families across the country.