Over 107,000 Cork Students to Benefit from Free Schoolbooks Scheme
Over 107,000 Cork students will benefit from the Free Schoolbooks Scheme, with €17.7m allocated to 445 schools across the county.
More than 107,251 young people across Cork are set to benefit from the Government's Free Schoolbooks Scheme, following an announcement today by Minister for Education and Youth Hildegarde Naughton.
A total of €17,758,697 has been allocated to schools in Cork under the scheme, comprising €12,901,097 for post-primary schools and €4,857,600 for primary schools. In all, 445 schools across Cork are participating this year, including 92 post-primary and 353 primary schools.
The scheme provides funding directly to schools to cover the cost of schoolbooks and core classroom resources, removing the need for parents and guardians to purchase or rent these items at the start of the school year.
Minister Naughton said:
"The Free Schoolbooks Scheme is making a real difference for families by easing back-to-school costs and ensuring that every child and young person in our schools has the resources they need to learn and succeed.
By providing funding directly to schools, the Government is removing the cost of books and resources as a barrier to participation in education and supporting greater equity and consistency in classrooms. The Free Schoolbooks Scheme covers schoolbooks and a range of essential classroom resources, removing the need for parents and guardians to purchase or rent these items at the start of the school year."
The Minister also acknowledged the contribution of school staff:
"I want to thank principals, teachers and school staff throughout Cork for their work in implementing this scheme. Their efforts are ensuring that students benefit fully from this important Government support."
Cork Senator Eileen Lynch also welcomed the announcement, saying:
"Every child in Cork deserves equal access to the resources they need in a classroom, regardless of their family's financial situation. The fact that 107,251 children across primary and secondary schools in Cork are benefiting is testament to the scale and ambition of this scheme."
Further information is available at gov.ie/schoolbookschemes.
