Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The witnesses are welcome to the committee.

We often speak about education. Education is the great liberator, as we all know. It is a path for people to achieve or do whatever they want to. Going back to our topic, what is the Department's view of what inclusive education is? Different countries have different models. What is the Department of Education's inclusive education model? To me, it is an education that suits the child and allows the child to thrive, and not just to survive. We often see that so many of our children are surviving and not thriving. We know we do not have a fully inclusive system at the minute. What is the Department's plan in moving towards that? Has the Department spoken to educators, children and parents about what they feel the best model for inclusive education is?

A number of parents contacted me after seeing the agenda for this evening's meeting. They asked me about several different issues. Underlying them for me was how the Department supports schools when there are instances of bullying and assaults, and the use of isolation and seclusion. Mammies come to me and tell me that the child who has been isolated is the victim. Sometimes this is done because it is just easier in the school. How is the school supported in that? How are the parents supported? They often do not want to rock the boat with the teachers and principals in that school.

Another instance brought to me by a few parents is if their child is in a clearly unsuitable school. I heard a terrible story this week about a young boy who was in a class of six kids. He was moved out of it into a larger class and is not coping. Everyone knows the child is not coping. That wee boy drank bleach in a classroom in a school this week and spent time in Crumlin. It is devastating. What support is there for parents when their children are in a class that is wholly unsuitable for them? The classroom is clearly not set up for that child. Obviously, bleach was not sitting out. He got into a space which he should not have got into. The school is not the right place for this young boy.

When the topic came up, I was called by the mammy of a young woman who spoke to our committee a while back, Niamh Kilcawley, who is visually impaired and needs accommodations to do exams. She fought and fought to get her junior certificate supports. Now she is back at square one again, fighting for the inclusive education that we are fighting for. She is coming up against huge barriers to getting adequate supports, extra time to do her exams, and indeed training to use the equipment. We are talking about inclusive education when we do not have inclusive examination. Where is the Department's section on that?