Quinn says book rental schemes will cut costs

Parents should encourage their children’s schools to set up book rental schemes to help bring down costs for families, according to guidelines from Education Minister Ruairi Quinn.

Research by his department last year found that although three quarters of primary schools have rent schemes, they are less common for second-level books.

Rental programmes can save parents up to 80% of the cost of buying new books, which force some parents to fork out €350, particularly in first year.