In Ireland, an estimated million school books are dumped every year. A family with just one child going into secondary school could spend at least €1,000 on books by the time they leave, Add siblings to that and the short life span books have - which means buying new editions - and the potential for spending a lot more increases. What on earth is going on?
Why so many books?
Publishers generally bring out new editions of books each year, even when there have been few or no changes to the curriculum. It's hard to imagine why this is necessary. As one teacher remarked wryly, it's not like the historical facts of World War Two have changed since last year. Teachers are forced to put the latest editions on the book list – it's hard on a teacher to keep track of several sets of page numbers for a topic – so families often can't even reuse an older child's books.
And often worksheets, where students fill in answers, are within the books, so that the books themselves are spoiled and can't be reused anyway.
What is a book rental scheme?
Most European countries operate book rental schemes within schools. This means that children rent or borrow their books from the school for the period they are needed, sometimes in return for a small fee or deposit. They get the deposit back at the end of the year, (provided the book is returned in a usable condition!).
If a school has enough copies of a textbook to go round teachers can work from that edition in confidence that the students can all have a copy, breaking the cycle of new editions and massively reducing waste.
What would schools need to do?
Schools alreadyget money for books from the Department of Education & Skills which they often spend on disadvantaged students. By running a book rental scheme, the money will go further, buying a set of books that will last for several years and benefit everyone.
What does the government need to do?
Schools will need more money for books to make schemes work, so funding will be needed. Rental schemes need to be available in all schools, so we believe that the government needs to make them mandatory, perhaps by linking schools’ book funding to having a scheme in place.
Won't all this cost a lot?
Some government funding will be needed, but by breaking the cycle of new editions, and giving more power to the schools to choose the books they want, the overall amount of money spent on school books will be a lot less. Schools' existing book budgets will go further, as instead of buying single-use books for individual students, they will be able to spend the money on books for all, which will stay in use for years.
What is St Vincent de Paul doing?
The Society works with disadvantaged people across Ireland, providing practical and financial help to families and individuals. In our work we can see the burden the costs of education – uniforms and schoolbooks – place on struggling families. We're calling for book rental schemes because reducing day-to-day living costs in this way will help more families to make ends meet.
Cut the cost of school books. Sign our petition now.