€15m funding should be seen as a ‘step towards free school books for all’

Children’s charity Barnardos says a €15m fund for schools to start book rental schemes is welcome — but all school books should eventually be free.

The Department of Education is giving €100 per pupil, or €150 for children at disadvantaged schools, for the estimated 650 primary schools that do not already have any rental programme. The money will be paid out over the next three years.

While it welcomed the initiative launched this week by Ruairi Quinn, the education minister, Barnardos said it was unfortunate that primary schools already operating a full or partial scheme were left out, as were all secondary schools.