Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

677.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of free schoolbooks distributed to schools in Dublin mid-west over the past year and for the semester ahead; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31948/24]

Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As part of Budget 2023, I announced a major investment of over €50 million to provide free schoolbooks in recognised primary schools and special schools. 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 can benefit from free education.

In 2024 over €47 million was allocated to continue implementation of the schoolbooks scheme at primary level. On the 8th May I announced details of year 2 of the Primary Schoolbooks Scheme which provides at a minimum free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks to pupils in recognised primary and special schools. More than 555,000 pupils enrolled in approximately 3,230 primary schools, including over 130 special schools will continue to benefit from this scheme.

Revised guidance for the 2024/25 school year was published on my Department’s website at www.gov.ie/schoolbookschemesand has issued to schools.

In 2023 schools received €96 per pupil and based on pupil enrolment figures from September 2022. The grant for 2024/25 is allocated on a per capita basis at a rate of €80 per pupil enrolled as of September 2023. Special schools that have students enrolled in Junior Cycle programmes have received funding at the Junior Cycle per capita rate of €309 per student set out under the new Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme in respect of these students to provide books and core classroom resources under the new Junior Cycle Schoolbooks Scheme which commences from September 2024.

At a minimum the primary scheme funding is to provide schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks for all children and young people enrolled in recognised primary schools and special schools. The scope of the scheme means funding is provided directly to schools so that primary and special schools will continue to have autonomy to choose schoolbooks and related classroom resources that meet their individual needs in line with curricular requirements. In the case of special classes in primary schools, they have autonomy to choose resources that meet the learning needs of the pupils.

Schools are expected to adopt a cost-conscious approach to the selection of books for use in their classes. Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at post-primary level, determined by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), the decisions on which textbooks, programmes and resources, if any, to use in primary and post-primary schools are taken at school level.

Therefore, the number or edition of schoolbook and/or workbook required by each pupil for individual subjects will be determined at a local level by each school and so this data is not held by Department.

As part of the on-going evaluation of the scheme, all schools will be asked to provide data on their expenditure for the 2024/25 school year in order to inform the guidance, implementation, costs and efficiency of the scheme for future years.