School students will pay reduced prices for cultural events, such as concerts and plays, as part of a new initiative announced by the Government.
The so-called Arts in Education Charter aims to widen student access to arts and culture.
The charter is a joint initiative between the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Education and Skills.
It says all artists and arts organisations in receipt of taxpayer funds will be obliged to donate time to local education projects.
All national cultural institutions will have to ensure that each student visits one such venue at least once during their time at secondary school.
The charter also says national institutions such as the Abbey Theatre and the National Concert Hall will offer tickets costing no more than €5 to those in full-time education. This will be limited to certain events.
A steering group has been established to oversee the implementation of these measures.
Some leading cultural institutions have told RTÉ News they already offer tickets to students at the reduced rate of €5.
The National Concert Hall for instance already allows students attend concerts for that price where seats remain available one hour before a performance.
The National Concert Hall is one of several publicly funded cultural institutions that provides extensive outreach programmes to schools and students.
Some of these bodies have expressed surprise at the announcement of the charter.
One body, which did not wish to be named, said it would be able to do more for students if public funding was adequate.
