Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Education Charlie McConalogue has called on the Government to reconsider its decision to ‘discriminate’ against schools that made sacrifices to start their own school book rental schemes.
Charlie McConalogue TD
The Donegal Deputy has accused the Minister for Education Ruairí Quinn of punishing schools in Donegal that fundraised heavily, cut money from elsewhere and got into debt to establish book rental schemes to help parents out.
“I know many schools across Co Donegal that made huge sacrifices, cut other resources and made tough decisions to start a book rental scheme. They are being punished for their initiative and foresight. It’s deeply unfair,” said Deputy McConalogue.
“The vast majority of book rental schemes that are already in operation in Donegal schools still need significant investment. Some schools are still in the early stages of establishing a book rental scheme, others are set to see a significant rise in pupil numbers in the coming years and others simply couldn’t raise the funds for fully operation book rental scheme. These schools still need State support to facilitate fully functional book rental schemes.
He added we are now in a situation where the schools that are ahead of the curve and put in their own funding to establish a book rental scheme will be left behind, while other schools receive government investment.
“It’s deeply unfair on the pupils and parents affected, particularly when so many parents were heavily involved in funding raising efforts to make rental schemes a reality and ease the financial burden in long-run.
“The reality is that our local schools are under more financial pressure than ever before while the cost of sending a child to school has increased significantly under this government. The Government has slashed school funding for smaller schools in particular, abolished the Minor Works Grant and Summer Works Scheme for two years, cut the Back to School Allowance and reduced special needs supports.
“If the Education Minister truly believes in easing the burden on all parents, he needs to rethink the discriminatory element of his school book rental initiative.”