According to Taoiseach Micheál Martin, he is not happy that parents of children with special needs are unable to get their kids into a special school or schools that offer special education, reports RTE.
He stated that resolving this issue is “a key priority for me” and that he will be meeting with ministers to do so.
Every kid has a right to an education, according to Mr. Martin, and the system has to be much more “seamless” so that future planning for the distribution of suitable school spots is influenced by shifting demographics, reports RTE.
He disputed that the Department of Education was putting a halt to hiring Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in response to a question from Labour leader Ivana Bacik.
Although this is a “poor consolation” for parents who are still looking for school placement, he stated that SNA recruitment has increased by 32% since 2020 and that 400 special classes—of which 218 have already been approved—will begin operations in September, reports RTE.
The claim that there was no SNA freeze was appreciated, according to Deputy Bacik, but she claimed it was “at odds” with what school principals had been telling the Labour Party.
According to her, her party was informed that “some form directive from the Department” was the reason for the blocking, reports RTE.
She said that it was evident that the Department of Education had not planned ahead, which was “frustrating” for parents who were struggling to make ends meet.
She expressed her appreciation for the Taoiseach’s resolve to address the issue.
She went on to say that 14,000 children were impacted by the three-year-old lengthy wait for a need assessment, reports RTE.
According to Deputy Bacik, 118 special needs youngsters were not offered a spot in school this year.
“Very very important” is how Mr. Martin described the problem, which he is “determined to deal with in the short term,” reports RTE.
According to the Taoiseach, parents ought to be aware of their child’s past school year and where they would be attending the next one, reports RTE.
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