Sir, – Last October I filled out the annual statistical census in my school. One of the easiest sections was a straight Yes/No answer to the question, “Does your school operate a book rental scheme?”. With justifiable pride I clicked “Yes”. With an average donation per child of €60,with parents most generously sending in all their children’s used books in order to create a stockpile and with a committee of staff and parents giving up to two weeks of their summer holidays, we ensured that every child in our school was part of our new book rental scheme. Click “Yes” for a job well done!
What would have happened had I clicked “No”? What if the parents had not donated €20,000 as well as their used books to provide the initial outlay? What if the staff had not given their time along with the PA volunteers to put the scheme into effect? Simple. The school would have received €150 per capita over the next three years (approximately €50,000) to introduce a book rental scheme.
Minister of Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn has decided to reward the no-clicking schools with a €15 million grant (Home News, January 9th). Damned if you do, damned lucky if you don't. – Yours, etc,
PETER GUNNING,
Principal, Scartleigh NS,
Saleen,
Midleton, Cork.