MGLD Teachers

Posted on February 19, 2009 at 10:37 PM

Children are yet again the target of the Government cutbacks as 119 schools will lose their Mild General Learning Disability teachers (MGLD). In my experience as a playschool teacher and childcare worker early intervention is essential for children with learning difficulties. The sooner the children get help the greater the chance that they will improve both academically and behaviourally.

Without intervention children with learning difficulties will struggle to keep up with their school work. This causes anxiety and may result in the child “acting up” and becoming very disruptive. This leads to a further sense of rejection, isolation and exclusion.

I have witnessed first hand the excellent progress that children can make with the help of a MGLD teacher. Unfortunately, many will not now be given the support they so desperately need at the most crucial stage of their mental and emotional development.

These cuts will be felt throughout the whole country but this part of Dublin is going to be one of the worst affected areas. St. Paul’s and St. Peter’s National schools in Greenhills and Loreto College in Crumlin will all lose a teacher as will an additional 13 schools in the Tallaght area.

This is totally unacceptable. The Government expects to save only €7M from these cuts but the effect on the children and their parents will be devastating. Children with learning disabilities will be forced into mainstream classes where they will not get the dedicated attention that they need while the rest of the class may find that the class progress will be slowed down.

Yet again we see this Government attacking the most vulnerable sections of our society. Why are they asked to pay for the errors of others who enjoyed the benefits of the boom but not the pain of the recession? I am totally opposed to these small minded cuts as are all of my colleagues in the Labour Party and we will fight them every step of the way.

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