15,000 students to receive school book grant increase

Approximately 15,000 pupils are to receive an increase in their school book grant through a new pilot scheme included in Budget 2020.

Students in more than 100 DEIS primary schools will see their school book grant increase to €85 through a new scheme aiming to reduce back-to-school costs for families.

With a survey by children's charity Barnardos finding that most families spent €85 on primary school books last September, the €1 million fund is hoped to cover the bulk of this cost.

“The cost of school books is recognised as a significant element of back to school costs and in line with the overall aim of DEIS to ensure all learners have equal opportunity to fulfil their potential," said Joe McHugh, the Minister for Education.

“I have decided to focus this funding on DEIS schools, in both urban and rural areas, which cater for high concentrations of students from disadvantaged areas. The aim is to provide school books for these children and their families and we hope to build on this."

The increase in the school book scheme, from €21 to €85, is in addition to the current school book grant of almost €17 million available to all recognised primary and post primary schools.

Schools selected to take part in the pilot scheme will be notified by the Department of Education in the coming days.

While the pilot scheme is a welcome initiative, more needs to be done to tackle back to school costs. That's according to Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, the Labour spokesman on education.

“But the reality is that €1 million is far short of what is required to meet the massive demand across the country, with just 100 of the nearly 700 DEIS schools at primary level set to benefit from this funding. If primary education is to be genuinely free in Ireland, all children should have access to free school books."

A recent study by Barnardos found it costs on average €380 to send a child into fourth class, and €340 to send a senior infant back to school. Almost 45% of the parents surveyed said they would skip paying a bill or cut back in order to cover their child's back-to-school expenses.