FG political charge on special needs ‘emotive and irresponsible’ - Minister O’Keeffe

The political charge made by a Fine Gael senator before the party’s private members' motion on special educational needs this evening is misleading, emotive and downright irresponsible, according to the Minister for Education and Science, Batt O’Keeffe TD.

‘A statement by Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames claming I am “waging [an] unjust war on children with special needs” is the kind of provocative hyperbole that has no place in responsible Opposition politics.

‘Its only objective is to scare parents and grab headlines without reference to the facts.

‘The facts are that any child who needs a special needs assistant (SNA) will get one.

‘The purpose of the ongoing review is to ensure that SNA posts are properly allocated according to the criteria and that any child who needs an SNA gets one.

‘There is absolutely no question of SNA posts being removed from schools where they are needed and meet the scheme’s criteria.

‘But equally I cannot stand over posts left in schools indefinitely where they are surplus to the care needs of children,’ said Minister O’Keeffe.

This year, the Government is spending over €1 billion in the special needs area - one ninth of the entire education budget.

‘The facts are that some 19,000 adults are now working in our schools solely with children with special needs.

‘We have more than 8,000 resource and learning support teachers in our schools compared with fewer than 2,000 when Fine Gael was last in office.

‘Over 1,000 other teachers support children in our special schools.

‘Last year, 10,342 SNAs were worked in schools.

‘When Fine Gael was last in power, only 300 SNAs worked in schools.

‘Fianna Fáil in Government has transformed the special needs landscape over the past decade.

‘The record of Fine Gael on special needs is, by comparison, pathetic,’ said Minister O’Keeffe.