Written answers

Monday, 9 September 2024

Department of Education and Skills

School Equipment

Photo of Darren O'RourkeDarren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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498.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are any plans to include the purchase of devices (details supplied) under the schoolbook scheme for junior cycle in post primary schools, in the cases where the post primary school uploads the books to the device, and schoolbooks are not required; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[33856/24]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma 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 from September 2024.

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. Schoolbooks can include eBooks where they are used alongside or in place of physical books. 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 (NDP) 2021-2030 providing continuity of funding following the €210m that issued to schools to support the previous strategy. Funding of €100m has now issued from the €200m commitment under the NDP including €50m that issued in April 2024.

This funding issues to schools so they can 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.

Photo of Darren O'RourkeDarren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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499.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are hardship or support schemes in place for parents who cannot afford devices (details supplied) for their school-going children in cases where all schoolbooks/materials are uploaded on the devices; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[33857/24]

Photo of Norma FoleyNorma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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It is the responsibility of each individual school to select the resources, if any, that it will use to support its implementation of the curriculum. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and my Department do not endorse or recommend particular materials. This includes text books, e-Books etc.

Since June 2020, and over the past three Budgets, I have secured funding to support measures aimed at supporting schools and parents to reduce costs. One of the most important policies in this regard has been the establishment of Ireland’s first national primary school book scheme in 2023, which provides free schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks, in primary schools and special schools. In 2024, the scheme was extended to provide schoolbooks and core classroom resources to all Junior Cycle students in post-primary schools in the Free Education Scheme from September 2024. This free schoolbooks scheme will eliminate the cost to all families for schoolbooks, workbooks and copybooks at primary school and schoolbooks and core classroom resources at Junior Cycle in post-primary school.

Under the new Junior Cycle Scheme the term schoolbooks includes all relevant textbooks, including eBooks, so any cost associated with the purchase of the electronic version of the schoolbook is included in the scope of the scheme.

Decisions regarding the use and deployment of digital technology in schools is a matter for the Board of Management of each school in the context of their digital learning planning. Schools are advised to consult with members of the school community including parents when planning for the introduction of digital technologies including devices with cost and other implications been fully considered by the Boards of Managements before a decision is made.

Schools, in conjunction with parents, are responsible for decisions on the use of digital technology, including tablet devices, laptops, and learning platforms, and how best to manage their integration into classroom practice reflective of their own context and requirements.

Oide- Technology in Education (formally the PDST-TIE) offers advice and supports to schools on digital learning. Advice sheets are available on digital technology in education, including on the adoption of laptops and tablets in schools.

I am keenly aware of the challenges faced by educators and parents in relation to costs of digital technology, including tablets, and my Department continues to work to help support schools and families meet these costs. In 2017 a circular letter issued to schools with measures to be adopted to reduce the cost of school uniforms and other costs including such ICT devices. See: assets.gov.ie/12695/2045e7ccec684f72b55d93930e45372c.pdf

This circular also instructed schools to consult with parents and their school community on the issue of ensuring costs are reasonable for parents, and how to avoid costs acting as a barrier. This circular specified that wherever possible, generic rather than branded items should be specified (e.g. uniform, clothing, IT tablets, sports equipment etc.).

The Digital Strategy for Schools 2027, which builds on the progress made under the previous Digital Strategy, is 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. €100m of that funding has issued, of which €50m recently issued to school. This funding issues 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. This can include the purchase of ICT devices such as tablets, hybrid devices, or laptops, and can be used to establish loan schemes for learners to access such devices

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.

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