Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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142. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to clarify a matter in relation to the junior cycle schoolbook scheme (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25925/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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On 5th of March, I announced details of a new ground-breaking scheme which provides free schoolbooks to Junior Cycle students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme. 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.

The investment of €68 million in 2024 significantly increases the funding that is currently provided to post-primary schools for schoolbooks. It reinforces the Government’s commitment to expand the free schoolbooks scheme to schools nationwide, as resources allow.

My Department has published guidance for post-primary schools around the operation of the Junior Cycle schoolbooks scheme, in continued engagement with all stakeholders. At a minimum the scheme will provide free schoolbooks, and core classroom resources for all students in Junior Cycle in post-primary schools in the free education system. Parents/guardians of students in Junior Cycle years will not be asked to purchase schoolbooks or to make a financial contribution to the school towards the cost of schoolbooks.

Funding under the Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme does not extend to including the purchase of digital devices by schools apart from in post-primary schools that use teacher generated content and resources in place of schoolbooks. However, schools may use the funding for digital media support, which relates to teaching and learning within curricular requirements.

Decisions regarding the use of digital technology, such as ebooks and ipads, in schools is a matter for the board of management/ETB of each school. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents/guardians when planning for the introduction of digital technologies, with cost and other implications being fully considered.

The Digital Strategy for Schools 2027, which builds on the progress made under the previous Digital Strategy, will be underpinned by an investment of some €200m included in the National Development Plan 2021-2030 providing continuity of funding following the €210m that issued to schools to support the previous strategy. I recently announced €50 million in grant funding for Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

This ICT grant has now issued to all recognised primary, special schools and post-primary schools. This funding is being provided to schools to help them continue to embed the use of digital technologies in their teaching, learning and assessment and represents the second tranche of ICT funding under the Digital Strategy for Schools to 2027.

In addition, the Department as part of Ireland’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) under Next Generation EU funding facility, issued a once-off grant of €50 million in December 2021 to recognised primary and post-primary schools in the free education scheme in order to support those learners at risk of educational disadvantage through the digital divide,

Funding under these two areas issued directly to schools as schools are best placed to identify the requirements of their own student cohort and to meet those requirements in the most appropriate way, within the criteria applying to this funding. This can include the purchase of ICT devices such as tablets, hybrid devices, or laptops and establishing schemes to loan devices to students.