Senator Aisling Dolan - Strong Voice, New Vision.
Free books will be provided in all primary schools and special schools in County Galway a Fine Gael Senator has said.
Senator Aisling Dolan, the Fine Gael Seanad Spokesperson on Education, said the initiative will provide not only free schoolbooks, but also workbooks and copybooks easing the financial burdens facing families during back-to-school- time.
Senator Aisling Dolan said:
Parents and guardians will have access to free school books, workbooks and copy books for children as of Autumn 2023. It’s another measure to help families with back to school costs
In 2020, Fine Gael in Government announced a new pilot programme which provided free schoolbooks to more than 100 primary schools which were part of the DEIS programme, in both rural and urban areas. I’m delighted to have seen this pilot project expanded to better support families and pupils.
Around 558,000 children and young people, their families and their schools around the country will benefit from the initiative. And the Department of Education will allocate funding for administrative support to primary schools for the 2023/24 school year, based on the size of the school. This could be used to employ a person to assist with any additional work required in order to implement the scheme.
The objective of the new scheme is about ensuring every child has the resources required to access education and also easing financial burdens surrounding the back-to-school costs which can be a cause of financial difficulty for many families each year, Senator Aisling Dolan concluded.
Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion, Josepha Madigan, said: “The provision of free books to primary schools, particularly special schools, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the academic, social, and emotional development of children.
“It can help to promote a love of learning, improve literacy skills, and support the unique needs of children with special educational needs.”
