Cllr attacks Government for pressing ahead with sacking of Special Needs Assistants.
Issued : Monday 25 January, 2010
With the process of axing 1,200 Special Needs Assistant posts from schools around the country getting under way this week, parents are becoming increasingly concerned that children will be denied the education that they deserve, claims South Tipp Labour Cllr. Darren Ryan.
Each time this Fianna Fail/ Green government rolls out its latest wave of cutbacks, they claim that they do so with a heavy heart, and that they have somehow managed to ‘protect the vulnerable’. The fact that hundreds of SNAs are being let go this week, is a clear indication as to where government priorities actually lie, and would suggest that when it comes to wielding the axe, education and services for children are seen as very easy targets.
According to Cllr. Ryan “This development is a slap in the face to the thousands of children who rely on SNAs in classrooms around the country. Any reduction in SNA numbers means that not only will these children themselves suffer, but teachers cannot be expected to have all the skills required to provide for a child with special needs and in this regard, they need whatever support they can get.”
The trend in recent years has been to accommodate children with learning disabilities in mainstream schools, with much of the old 'special school' infrastructure being dismantled. This is something that Labour has very much welcomed, but if the replacement infrastructure in mainstream schools is itself now being dismantled, that means that these children are being left high and dry?
Services for children with special needs have come under sustained attack in recent years. Many SNA positions have already been scrapped over the last two years, and there is simply no further scope for trimming back numbers. Ending vital services for these children is inexplicable, but rolling back on the significant progress that has been made in this regard in recent times, is unforgivable
