Skip to main content
European Commission logo

Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Ireland: Details of €11.8 billion education funding in budget 2025

News & Articles

News & Articles

Ireland: Details of €11.8 billion education funding in budget 2025

30 October 2024
Small Figure on Euro Coins
Country news

The Irish government has announced a record €11.8 billion investment in education for budget 2025, a 9% increase from last year. Key highlights include extending the free schoolbooks scheme, increasing per-pupil funding, adding special education staff, and introducing wellbeing initiatives. This budget aims to enhance learning outcomes and support an inclusive education system. 

Ireland’s Minister for Education, along with the Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion and the Minister of State for Sport and Physical Education announced details of an unprecedented €11.8 billion investment in education and schools in Budget 2025, an increase of some 9 per cent on the same figure in Budget 2024.  

The key features of the budget include: 

 

  • Extension of the free schoolbooks scheme to students in transition and senior cycle years 

  • Significant increase in school funding with state funding per pupil  

  • Additional cost of living supports for all primary, special and post-primary schools in the free scheme to help them deal with increased costs. 

  • An additional 768 special education teachers and 1,600 special needs assistants to support children across mainstream, special classes and special schools 

  • A new wellbeing initiative designed to support schools to implement bans on the use of mobile phones by post-primary school students during the school day, building on the success of the ‘Keeping Childhood Smartphone Free’ initiative 

  • A package of measures to ensure that our schools continue to have a supply of excellent teachers, including a bursary for student teachers to increase the number of qualified Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths teachers in post-primary schools, and continued funding for free upskilling courses for teachers in high-demand subject areas 

  • Additional funding to tackle educational disadvantage, with more educational supports available for children in alternative school settings and the roll-out of the Traveller and Roma Education Strategy 

  • Additional funding for the School Transport Scheme 

  

For more information: Main Features of Budget 2025 Department of Education 

Source: Eurydice Unit Ireland 

Latest News and Articles

Spain: Government expands access to vocational training through skills accreditation for millions

20 March 2025

The Spanish Government has introduced a new Royal Decree to establish a permanent procedure for accrediting basic competences gained through work experience or informal training

...

Belgium (German-Speaking Community): New bachelor’s program in Social Work at the Autonome Hochschule Ostbelgien

18 March 2025

In September 2024, the Autonome Hochschule Ostbelgien (AHS) launched a new bachelor’s degree program in Social Work, tailored to meet the specific needs of the

...

Latvia: “Schools for Victory”-campaign to support Ukraine

27 February 2025

“Schools for Victory” is an international campaign bringing together schools of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to stand in solidarity with Ukraine. Students of Āgenskalns State

...

Poland: New team of experts to boost climate education

19 February 2025

The Polish Minister of Education has set up a team of climate education experts with representatives of climate organisations, academics, teachers and local authorities to

...