Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have little need to speak further given I agree with everything the previous speaker said. Like far too many of us in this House, Deputy O'Donovan comes from a teaching background. He raised a serious issue and I entirely agree with him.

I support the Government amendment. It is a major achievement that it has managed to ring-fence €1.3 billion for resource teaching hours and special needs assistants. Several years ago the only person employed in a classroom was the teacher but enormous changes have taken place since then. Fianna Fáil-Progressive Democrats governments spent a considerable amount in this area but they threw money at the problem like confetti rather than trying to ascertain how resources could best be allocated. The result is a system that is dysfunctional in many respects. Demand for resource teaching hours has increased by 12% compared to an increase of 1% in the number of students. That sort of ratio is not sustainable and the question arises of whether all this increased demand is valid. As Deputy O'Donovan noted, there is evidence to suggest that resources are being acquired more effectively by schools in middle class and well-to-do areas. This is clearly wrong because demands would naturally move in the opposite direction.

I speak as somebody who recognises the important work done by resource teachers and SNAs. Prior to my election to the Dáil, I worked in a school for physically disabled children. The SNAs in that school worked much harder than the average SNA because not only did they have to assist in the classroom, they also had to feed children who could not feed themselves. It was at times a fraught job because some of these children were so disabled that they were in danger of choking on their food. I acknowledge the important work that SNAs do but in many cases resources are spread too thinly.

I welcome the attitude of the Minister for Education and Skills towards this debate. He wants to target resources at special needs, whether through assistance with mathematics or other areas. It is right that the National Council for Special Education is trying to come up with a fair model for resource allocation. I welcome that the Minister has put the former chief inspector, Eamon Stack, in charge of this task. I hope that the council's work will bear fruit because, while the Minister has jumped into the breach to meet demand, he will face financial problems in the future. It is important to conduct a root and branch examination of what is required to achieve better value for the resources invested so that they are targeted at those who need them the most.

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