Families can expect a welcome relief from buying school books in September, as each child will be allocated nearly €100 each for back to school costs.
The Minister for Education Norma Foley recently announced a €50 million free school book initiative will be aimed at 558,000 students in 3,230 primary schools and 130 special schools this autumn. It is expected that the initiative will see each school given €96 per child to cover school books, workbooks and copybooks to ease the pressure parents face at the start of each school year amid the cost of living crisis.
According to the Department of Education, the new funding will also provide schools with an Administration Support Grant to assist with the roll out and implementation of the scheme and to relieve the administrative burden on schools. The new scheme is an expansion of the free school book pilot, which is currently in effect in over 100 Deis schools. Here's everything you need know about the scheme, how much each child gets, and what schools are eligible.
