Vanguard action leaves school little flushed

A VAN LOAD of toilet roll has been donated to a school which was forced to ask pupils to bring their own paper in an effort to save on its scarce resources.

The story of the request to parents at St John’s Girls’ National School in Carrigaline, Co Cork, caught the ears of staff at the factory which makes Kitte nSoft toilet paper in Dublin. The Finglas-based operation of Georgia-Pacific Ireland Ltd dispatched 720 rolls by courier and they arrived at the 540-pupil school yesterday afternoon.

But while the gift will be a help to the school, the publicity surrounding the case could pose further embarrassment for the Government over the extent of the funding cuts to schools. While the capitation grant to primary schools for day to day expenses was increased in the April budget, other grants, such as ones use to buy books and classroom equipment, were abolished.