Special needs cuts in education crazy

Cuts to special needs support in our schools are not just shortsighted but a sickening blow to the most vulnerable in our society. Certainly with a budget deficit of some €19bn, the Irish Government has very tough decisions to make. And with further cuts and tax hikes signalled right up until 2014 at least, of course there needs to be cuts across the board but surely the figures can be found elsewhere. We can stomach (because we have to) water charges, household charges, some tax hikes... but to impose cuts of this order on special needs children is going too far. While the Taoiseach will argue that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) allocations are at 90% of those last year and any school requiring an SNA will have one; this translates to 475 posts less across the board. On the front line, that results in less hours allocated to students who need them in the classroom. SNAs' duties range from helping children with mobility difficulties to their classroom, to the toilet, at lunch etc; to helping them get their books out. Teachers are already hard pressed (and we know that teacher pupil ratios are only going to get worse) with trying to get around to all students in the classroom. This is not fair on the classroom as a whole and certainly not fair on the students with special needs. To have their hours cut or their routine changed in any way can cause such students considerable distress and upset. Some with mild learning disabilities will already find the mainstream classroom challenging and to put extra pressure on them is unacceptable. All students, regardless of their level of ability, are entitled to an education. Those with special needs should be accommodated in the mainstream classroom where possible. It is a dramatic improvement on the days when such young people were locked away in institutions and not integrated into their communities. All children have the right to achieve their full potential. Investing in these young people will save the state a fortune in the long run as those with special needs are less likely to require residential care later in life. As part of the terms of the EU/IMF bailout, it was confirmed that 200 SNA positions needed to be cut to comply with a cap agreed. How then do we get to 475 posts? How was any such cap agreed in the first place? The most vulnerable in our society are being asked to pay the price for the mismanagement of the economy. The Minister for Education needs to see sense on this issue, and fast. After all, it was Fine Gael who were jumping up and down in protest last year when the Fianna Fáil government signalled over 350 SNA posts were to be cut.