Saving of €310 per student on books
But unions say ‘the big issues’ not addressed
MORE than 700,000 school children up to Junior Cert level will benefit from free books at a cost of €310 per pupil.
The Government has prioritised education in Budget 2024 as thousands of children will benefit from free books, school meals, transport and special needs assistants (SNAs).
As part of a €10.5billion cash injection to the Department of Education, funding has been put in place for 740 additional teachers to support children with special educational needs, along with 1,200 additional SNAs.
But teaching unions have warned that they will struggle to attract the teachers needed to fill vacant positions.
‘We’re disappointed and concerned’
For the first time, Junior Cycle students in State-funded secondary schools will be entitled to free school books in a €67million measure that will benefit over 200,000 teens.
The total cost equates to €310 per child. It will bring the total number of children receiving free books to more than 700,000.
The scheme will also cover class resources, including copy books, novels and calculators.
Over half of the primary schools in the country will provide pupils with free hot meals by 2024.
Approximately 1,000 primary schools will now have a hot meal for each child by 2024, while it is envisioned that all schools will have free hot meals by 2030.
Schools will receive a once-off cost-of-living package of €61million to help meet their dayto-day expenses, while an additional €20million has been allocated in core capitation funding.
The financial burden of going to college has also been alleviated in a multi-million-euro package for students and their families.
Families with an income of less than €100,000 will see college fees for undergraduates halved from €3,000 to €1,500 this year.
All other families will see undergraduate full-time student fees cut by €1,000.
In addition, the removal of fees for Post-Leaving Certificate courses has been pledged from next September, and third-level SUSI grant payments are to increase by €615.
People under 26 will also now be eligible for a 50% reduction in public transport fares.
But while the measures in Budget 2024 have been broadly welcomed, the Association of School Teachers in Ireland (ASTI) said it does not address ‘the big issues in education requiring urgent investment’.
ASTI president Geraldine O’Brien said there are major concerns over class sizes, teacher shortages and guidance counselling services.
‘We are extremely disappointed and concerned that despite the fact that schools are struggling to fill vacant teaching positions and students are in too-large classes, the Budget does not address the big issues. It is a missed opportunity,’ she said.
‘Modern curricula require that significant practical, collaborative, and experiential work takes place in the classroom. This is not
sustainable in overcrowded classes. Teachers are simply not able to give every student the attention they require.’
The ASTI also expressed disappointment that the once-off additional funding for schools has been reduced from €90million in 2023 to €61million in 2024.
‘It is almost a decade-and-a-half since austerity measures wreaked havoc for management structures in schools,’ Ms O’Brien added.
‘The Government must restore middle management posts to pre-austerity levels. Many of these posts relate to student pastoral care in schools.’
The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) said it was disappointed that the SUSI grant has not been made available to students studying part-time.
Dr Tricia Keilthy, SVP’s Head of Social Justice, said: ‘This Budget was a real test of the Taoiseach’s commitment to addressing child poverty, and it has delivered on a number of fronts. However, we are dismayed to see the Qualified Payment to the poorest children will only increase by €4, which is well below the recommended increase of €10 for children under 12 and €15 for children over 12.’