Ireland bottom of schoolbooks league [IrishExaminer]
- Published: 04 September 2010
IRELAND is among a small number of EU countries where the Government does not contribute some or all the costs of children’s schoolbooks.
In Britain, Northern Ireland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden and parts of Germany and Spain, the state pays for textbooks from primary through to second-level.
But despite bills of more than €350 for some students in second-level, particularly those starting first-year and fifth-year, Ireland is one of just two countries – the other is Portugal – out of more than a dozen analysed by RTÉ News where parents bear the full cost.
Irish primary and second-level schools are encouraged to use a book grant from the Department of Education to set up book-rental schemes whereby a nominal amount is paid each year towards books bought by the school, given to parents at the beginning of each year and returned to be handed on to the next class the following year. The department pays primary schools €11 for each child towards book costs, with those supported under a scheme for the most disadvantaged schools getting €21 per pupil. Equivalent sums of €24 and €39 are payable to second-level schools, but they are free also to use the money to expand libraries or other reading facilities.
Full Story: www.irishexaminer.com
