Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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As 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 2024, I announced a major investment of over €68 million to provide free schoolbooks to all students in Junior Cycle years in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. 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 and young person can benefit from free education.

Special schools who have students enrolled in Junior Cycle programmes will also receive this funding. More than 213,000 students enrolled in approximately 670 post-primary schools and over 65 special schools, will benefit from the new scheme from the start of the 2024/25 school year.

Following the successful implementation of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme in September 2023, the introduction of this measure for Junior Cycle students has further extended 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.

Guidance on the Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme was published on 5 March in consultation and engagement with all stakeholders. The scheme will aim 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 junior cycle students. Similar to the scheme at primary level, administrative supports will be provided to schools in order to roll out the scheme. Details of the funding, including the per capita rate and the administrative support element, are set out in the guidance to schools.

The grant for this scheme is based on the previous year’s validated enrolment figures which, for the 2024/25 school year, will be the number of students enrolled in Junior Cycle for the current 2023/24 school year. Funding for this scheme issued to schools on 19 March 2024.

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.

Post primary schools will continue to receive the existing book grant for students in Senior Cycle years for the 2024/25 school year.

The extension of the free schoolbook scheme to Senior Cycle students will be considered as part of future budget negotiations and therefore this information is deemed budget confidential. On this basis we are unable to provide this information at present.