The cost of school books should be covered by councils in Ireland, it has been suggested.

According to the Oireachtas education committee, financing book rental schemes could be left down to local authorities in an effort to bring down school-related expenses faced by families throughout the country, the Sunday Times reports. 

It has been put forward that city and county councils should be allowed to use some of the property tax to fund rental initiatives for children in both primary schools and second-level schools.

A draft report from the education committee reads: "It must be mandatory for schools to offer a school book rental scheme that reduces or eliminates the cost of school books for parents." 

It was explained in the draft report - entitled Back to School Costs - that a parent's relationship with the school their child attends should be educational as opposed to financial.

The report comes as Dublin North Central TD Aodhan O Riordain has called on supermarkets to sell generic school uniforms, which should make it cheaper and easier for parents to purchase these clothes. 

Written by Donal Walsh

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