€20 Million to be Granted for School Library Books

The Minister for Education Norma Foley TD today Sunday 17 April announced that €20 million will be provided to recognised primary and post-primary schools for the purchase of books, audio books and other media for the purposes of improving their existing literacy resource banks

April 19, 2022 - 06:57

€20 Million to be Granted for School Library Books

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

This €20 million fund will be paid to schools in the coming weeks and is additional to that already given for the school books rental scheme.

Minister Foley said:

“A love of reading is one the greatest gifts we can give a child. It is of utmost importance that we provide access to the highest quality books in all our schools. They enable our students to go on magical journeys, experience new ideas and open their minds to infinite possibilities. In doing so reading assists in the development of language and literacy skills. It is said that books are uniquely portable magic and I firmly believe that reading opens up a world of imagination and endless possibilities; taking the reader to places they have never been, provoking curiosity, wonder and discussion.

“As a teacher, I know well the value to our students of reading widely, and I have been determined that we invest in our school literacy resources. With this initiative we can ensure that schools and our students have access to the highest quality books and materials to support their literacy.

“Considerable progress has been made in promoting a high level of literacy since the 2011 Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and Interim Review 2017. The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2016 results showed that the reading skills of primary school children in Ireland, both in the paper based and online assessment are among the best in all European and OECD countries. It is important to build on this good work and ensure that these high standards are maintained.

“Schools will receive excellent and expert support from Public Library Supports for Schools, to help spend their grant funding to meet needs of their students. I look forward to seeing our students in reading nooks and libraries all over Ireland, enjoying a great read.”

The grant is to be paid to schools based on pupil numbers at the same rate for all schools, primary and post-primary. The Department will also send a guidance note to all schools, with support from the libraries service, on how schools can best use the funding received.

Source: Department of Education