Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein)
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409. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that a fashion competition (details supplied) is now charging schools a fee of €1,000 euro to enter, despite this being free in previous years, due to insufficient Government funding; and the measures she is taking to ensure that schools are not faced with this fee for the coming year, ensuring that costs will not be a barrier for school children to enter the competition. [51120/25]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Funding

My department delivered a total of €466,000 to 21 organisations in June this year, following an open call, to support the delivery of ESD in schools. A list of the projects funded is available on the ESD to 2030 webpage:

These organisations received funding from my department in order to increase teacher professional learning, accelerate local level action, develop resources and deliver workshops and programmes that support implementation of our ESD to 2030 strategy in schools. These organisations include An Taisce/ Green Schools, ECO UNESCO, the Picker Pals programme, Biodiversity in Schools, Heritage in Schools, Wool in Schools, Farmer Time programme and Education for Sustainability among others. The organisation referred to by the Deputy did not apply for funding under this ESD call.

There are a wide range of organisations, NGOs, Not for Profit organisations and private companies providing programmes for schools in the area of Sustainable Development. Some of these programmes are in receipt of funding from other Government Departments. We would note for example that the An Taisce/ Green Schools programme which engages with circa 88% of schools, receives its core funding from the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment while the WorldWise Global Schools programme is funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs/ Irish Aid.

Choices regarding educational materials, textbooks and other educational products/initiatives/ programmes are made by individual schools and their boards of management, not by the department. In general, it is the current policy of the department not to endorse publications, products or services from individual, commercial or other providers. The department does not recommend any specific services to schools and allows schools and teachers to determine the most appropriate programmes for their students, bearing in mind any costs that might be associated for participating in particular programmes.

My department has recently issued an open call for funding for recognised primary and post-primary schools for ESD projects. The call has been published on the ESD to 2030 webpage which can be accessed at the following link: . The closing date for applications is Friday 17th of October 2025.

There is a total ESD fund of €450,000 available for schools. The priority criteria for ESD funding this year are projects focused on "Local and Community Level Action" and which include an element of Teacher Professional Learning. Other criteria are set out in the funding call/ application form.