Digital Divide and Back to School Costs: Motion [Private Members]
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-15
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Eoghan Kenny (LAB), Cork North-Central

Sinn Féin should get back to the priorities in this motion.
The Minister in her speech referred on a number of occasions to encouraging schools:
I encourage schools to consider how existing ICT supports and funding could be used to meet students' needs before any expectation was placed on parents ...
Using the words "encourage schools" is extremely blasé in that it does not pay for digital devices. Saying to schools "I encourage you to look into not using digital devices" does not pay for those digital devices that are required.
The Minister referred to a digital learning plan. In our motion we have called for a ring-fenced maintenance fund to be provided by the Department of education for schools. Having been a teacher in two schools, I recognise that these tablets and these laptops that are provided to schools break and that maintenance for them is coming out of capitation grants that cannot be fulfilled by the schools because they are using capitation grants elsewhere. If we had a ring-fenced maintenance fund for these laptops and tablets, it would provide the necessary funding to be able to maintain them. As regards the Minister's reply, guidance to schools is not enforcement to schools. As regards providing guidance and letters to schools that say, "My Department believes that it is not necessary to have laptops and tablets; I am issuing guidance on this", without those enforcement mechanisms being put in place, schools can still mandate children to have a personal digital device, which is what they are doing.
In relation to the Minister's comment that "decisions about digital devices should be grounded in pedagogy, informed by engagement with parents and students and mindful of affordability for families", her own Department has created a senior cycle reform, leaving certificate reform, and almost 40% of that leaving cert work is project work now that almost includes the use of a digital device consistently.
The Minister said when speaking about school uniforms that Circular 32/2017 makes it clear that schools should take practical steps to reduce costs for families, including use of generic items where possible, avoiding unnecessary exclusive supplier arrangements. It is just not happening. That circular needs to be revisited and schools need to be issued with further guidance. It is a guidance letter once again, a guidance circular that was produced by the Minister at the time in 2017 that gave absolutely no consequences to the school for having branded school uniforms.
In my opening speech I, as well as my colleagues, welcomed the free books scheme. It was an essential piece that was brought in within the Department of Social Protection and the Department of education that genuinely helped families. However, that free books scheme is now being undermined 100%, unfortunately, by a lot of schools mandating children to have digital devices. That free books scheme was extremely welcome. I welcomed it as a teacher; I welcome it now as a politician. Unfortunately, it is now being undermined by many schools across the country mandating children to have digital devices.
The Minister outlined the cost of school transport. School transport should be free. I do not care if it is €1.32 for families right across the country. It should be free. We should have free school transport in this country for every single child. No financial barrier should be put before a child who needs access to schools, predominantly children living in rural areas.
In relation to the engagement and consultation charter Bill, of course consultation with parents is essential, but drawn-out consultation right now will not pay for the significant back-to-school costs that parents are sitting around the kitchen table right now wondering how they will be able to afford in the next month or two.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:08+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-15