Budget 2024: Book scheme will 'massive help to families' says Cork principal

FREE school books for students in junior cycle at secondary school, reduced fees for third- level students, as well as funding for building, transport, meals, and special needs have been announced in Budget 2024.

Speaking in the Dáil, Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe said: “Reducing the cost of education is a priority of this government.

“Today, I am providing funding to extend the free school books scheme to all junior cycle pupils in recognised post-primary schools within the Free Education Scheme from September next year, benefitting over 200,000 pupils.”

The new measure, which comes on the back of last year’s €47m scheme to provide free books for primary school students, will mean that 770,000 students across primary and secondary schools will now get free textbooks, workbooks and other items such as calculators and dictionaries.

The books for first-, second-, and third-year students come at a cost of €55m, and will see the schools receive funding to purchase books and resources, which they will then loan to pupils who will have to return them at the end of the year.

Louise Jordan, Green Party candidate for Cork City North East, stated: “I’m delighted to see the free school book scheme extended up to Junior Cert.

“This is a really important cost of living measure and very good news for parents. The cost of school books is scandalous and a huge burden for many households.”

Suzanne Connolly, CEO of children’s charity Barnardos, also welcomed the extension of the free books scheme, saying: “It is positive progress on the work started last year, and will help alleviate financial pressure placed on parents across the country every year in the run up to the return of school.

“However, while welcome, we are disappointed that the Government did not extend free schoolbooks to all secondary school students — hopefully, this measure will lead to further expansion next year which will mean all students benefit from the scheme.”

Aaron Wolfe, principal of Coláiste Éamann Rís, said that the book scheme was “a massive help to families who are struggling with the cost of living crisis”, but explained the cost of books would go way down if there was more regulation of the publishing companies so that they didn’t keep writing new editions of textbooks.

“We’ve run a book loan scheme here, and we can never recycle the books — now that it’s Government money the publishing companies needs to be spoken to or schools will need massive skips for books every three years.

“It’s a pity they haven’t increased the number of assistant principals in schools, as the book loan scheme does increase the workload.”

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVE THAT SCHOOLS MUST IMPLEMENT

However, Mr Wolfe warned that the free books scheme is essentially a Government initiative that the schools will be left to implement during the summer, without middle management.

Announcing further measures for students and their parents, Mr Donohoe said: “Education is vital for investment in supporting our children and our future.”

He announced that the Government will allocate a total of €10.5bn to the Department of Education in 2024, including a capital budget of €940m.

This money will go towards the “continued rollout of urgently needed school building projects” — which includes the 300 projects currently underway, and a further 200 school building projects which will commence construction over 2023 and 2024.

The minister also announced new supports for those with special needs, saying: “Today’s budget builds on the progress we have made in building a more inclusive education system.”

He said that it will provide for over 740 additional teachers to support those with special educational needs, as well as over 1,200 additional SNAs, which Mr Donohoe pointed out was “the highest number of SNAs we have ever had in our education system”, and provide additional resources to special schools.

Further measures include higher capitation payments to schools from the beginning of 2024, an extension of the fee waiver on school transport services for a further year as well as an extension of the fee waiver for students sitting state exams, and the expansion of the hot school meals programme to a further 900 primary schools in April 2024.

Mr Donohoe concluded: “Today’s announcements represent further important strides in transforming the quality, affordability and inclusivity of our education system.”

However, members of the Irish National Teacher’s Organisation (INTO) say primary schools have been left behind in Budget 2024.

INTO general secretary John Boyle said: “There’s no getting away from the fact that Ireland’s primary school classes are the highest in the eurozone, remaining almost three pupils per classroom more than the average throughout the EU.

“It would have been a legitimate hope that a Government with a record budget surplus would have taken decisive action… Instead of doing that, today’s no-change announcement will add to overcrowding in schools.”

There were reductions in third level fees, with Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation, and Science Simon Harris saying: “Last year’s Student Contribution measures made a significant difference to students’ lives and their wellbeing.

“That’s why this year we are repeating these measures.

“We have halved the student contribution fee to €1,500 for eligible families with a household income of between €62,000 and €100,000 , while families who pay the student contribution in full will see a once off reduction of €1,000.”

In addition, in 2023 and into 2024, €192m will be provided to higher education including €60m in core funding, but the Irish Universities Association says that this falls well short of what is needed.