Carlow principal speaks out as charity calls for €20m School Library Book Fund be maintained

Children’s Books Ireland has launched its pre-budget submission for 2023.

The charity is calling on the Department of Education to maintain the €20m investment that was made in Budget 2022 towards rebuilding schools’ library stock after over a decade without funding to buy books.

Children’s Books Ireland is also asking that, in Budget 2023, the Department of Education:

• Commit to a timeline on the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Education, Further & Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science in its Report on Leaving Certificate Reform, in particular: All Primary and Post Primary Schools should have a School Library, School Librarian and full access to the School Digital Library Service.
• Expand the number of JCSP libraries in secondary schools from the existing 30 as per the 2005 DEIS plan.
   

Despite the funding granted to schools last year, Children’s Books Ireland still received almost 650 applications for their school library donation programmes this year.

The charity has stated that, while welcome, the once-off investment needs to be maintained to compensate for the long period in which school libraries were under-resourced and to ensure that children have ongoing access to the books they need.

The charity has said that as Ireland faces a cost of living crisis, many families will struggle with basic back to school costs for their children.

Barnardos Back to School Survey 2022 revealed that two thirds of primary school parents and three quarters of secondary parents were concerned about back to school costs. Many will be forced to prioritise the purchase of uniforms, school books and shoes, making access to books at school all the more important for children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Reading has the power to change children’s lives. A vast body of evidence shows that reading for fun in childhood improves literacy and numeracy skills, empathy, and mental wellbeing.

Reading is more important for children’s cognitive development than their parents’ level of education and is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background.

Ensuring effective access to and participation in cultural activities for all is an essential dimension of promoting an inclusive society, according to a European Commission publication from the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion.

In short, making sure that every child can find a book they love at school levels the playing field for those who may not have books at home.

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Elaina Ryan, CEO of Children’s Books Ireland, said:

‘The funding granted in Budget 2022 was an excellent starting point to give all children and young people an equal opportunity to become readers, and to reap all the positive impacts on their literacy, numeracy, and mental wellbeing.

‘However, the reality is that €20 million equates to only €21 per student at primary and secondary level. This will provide, on average, two novels, picture books or graphic novels per student, or just one non-fiction book.

‘The recommended benchmark is around 13 books per pupil, though smaller schools need proportionately more items per pupil. We should aim higher for our schools.

‘In short, more is needed in order to ensure that all children have access to a range of excellent, representative books to cater for different interests and abilities.’

Speaking on the need to additional funding, Cheryl Brennan, Principal at Drummond NS, in County Carlow said,

‘The grant has been instrumental in changing some children's negative attitudes towards reading in our school.

‘Books we have received and purchased as a result of this grant have been varied in topic, current and engaging for children of all reading abilities. We have specifically focused on increasing our selections for the developing reader or the reluctant reader. New books that haven't been on shelves gathering dust for years are more appealing to all children.

‘If we had the support of a continued grant for upkeep of our library, we could ensure that it continues to remain current and meaningful for all children.

‘One of the most important things we as teachers can do for children who are developing as readers is allow them to read, not skill and drill but actual independent reading time where the child becomes immersed in the world of books but in order to do this we need books!’