Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Fáiltím roimh an deis labhairt ar an ábhar tábhachtach seo. I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important motion. I want to be clear and unambiguous from the outset about where I stand on this issue. The provision of resources to children with special learning needs is an absolute top priority for me, politically and personally. I placed that level of priority on this matter in my former professional role as a teacher and I continue to do so now. That is on the record from many previous debates on educational matters in the House and at the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection. At every opportunity, particularly in the presence of the Minister for Education and Skills, I have emphasised that my priority is to protect and ring-fence the funding of special educational needs resources. That remains the position, despite the many reductions this Government has been forced to impose and the many difficult decisions it has had to make. A budget of €1.3 billion is continuing to be protected so that the most essential resources can be provided to children with special learning needs. Politics is about choices that are never easy and often difficult. It is a matter of record that I have supported some politically difficult choices in the education sector, such as the decision to increase the pupil-teacher ratio in small rural schools. I stand over the choice that was made by the Government in that case. I do not think it is fair or right that a school with 14 students can have two teachers, or a ratio of 1:7, while a teacher in another school down the road struggles to teach 34 students. Despite coming under a great deal of political pressure, I wholeheartedly supported the Government when it imposed that measure. That is an example of the difficult choices we have to make.

A number of issues have been highlighted over the past week since this issue came to the fore. The usual politicisation of the issue obviously took place because it is an easy issue to be political about. The media likes and is interested in this issue because it involves emotion. Given that we are talking about children with various difficulties, it is perfectly understandable that this is a highly emotive topic. Every parent wants the absolute best for his or her child, regardless of the nature of the challenges being faced by the child. Over the past week, we have witnessed the anger and anxiety of parents who were already stressed out from struggling with the challenges of rearing their children and doing their best for them. That has not been helpful. It has become clear over the past week that we have to look at the allocation model, to which some of the previous speakers referred. We are spending €1.3 billion on the allocation of resources to children with special learning needs. That is more than we are spending on the entire third level sector, including our universities. We have to ensure we are getting the best value from that expenditure. We have to ensure the children who are looking for and availing of these resources get the fairest and best value from the money we are spending. It has been difficult for parents and teachers to listen to debates about possible reductions in the provision of special needs resources in the same week that the Anglo Irish Bank tapes were published. This insight into the horrible times of 2008 has reminded us of what went on and where this country's priorities rested at that time.

We need to address the causes of this crisis rather than the symptoms of it. It is neither realistic nor practical to pump further hundreds of millions into the system. Such a solution cannot take hold. I question the effectiveness of the current assessment model. I look forward to the challenging and difficult new allocation model that is necessary. The model, which will be based on children's needs, has already been instigated by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. I have to query why the spike in demand for resources of 12% was not recognised and addressed sooner. As I have already mentioned to the Minister, I think there is spare capacity in the general allocation model for moderate learning needs. We have to prioritise children with severe learning needs. Under the general allocation model, children who receive a one-on-one service from resource teachers could be placed in groups of two or three with one teacher. This could double or triple the number of resource hours available to them. We have to consider that possibility. When I worked as a teacher, I spent a great deal of time working with parents to try to secure resources. I understand the frustration and difficulty experienced by people as they try to get those resources. We have a challenge in this regard. I have made contact with the teaching body and I am meeting representatives of it next week because we have to review the allocation model, which was set and designed 20 years ago. I believe it is not fit for purpose today. We have to move with the times and bring it up to speed so we can ensure every child gets the resources he or she is due.

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