Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this matter concerning two children in the same family. The eldest child in the family waited three years to be assessed for dyslexia by the Department of Education and Science. It was a matter of concern as he was 11 years old, with one year left in national school. He was finally assessed by the Department on 30 September 2003. As a result, he was promised resource teaching of 2.5 hours per week which he has yet to receive. His assessment profile meets the primary criteria for dyslexia but he only receives learning support for 15 to 20 minutes per day for two weeks every month. He receives none of the specialised resource teaching despite the Department's recommendation. This will put him at a disadvantage when he enters secondary school soon. Will the Minister of State confirm there are 4,000 children in the western half of the country waiting for services already recommended by the Department?

The second child, who is seven years of age, was noticed by the school to have reading problems in October 2003. The mother asked for an assessment for possible dyslexia on the grounds of his older brother's condition. The school informed the mother that his condition was not considered to be severe enough to warrant assessment by the Department. The school also pointed out that the child would have to be severely affected to qualify for assessment as only a certain number of children could be assessed. This figure, she learned, was based on the number of children attending the school and meant only 2%, or two children per year, could be assessed. This quota basis was confirmed to the mother by a departmental official for the Mayo area. If this is true, then any child falling outside the quota is simply forgotten.

The mother was also informed that other children were worse-off and needed to be assessed. In the younger child's class alone, there were seven children requiring assessment. The mother is involved in the dyslexia workshop in Ballina. She informed me this evening that she has had to organise a private assessment for her younger son. Though the school has been helpful, the mother feels hard done by. The school has been put into a difficult situation acting as judge and jury in these cases. Parents who persist in demands for assessments feel they are hassling the school. This inequitable process needs to be changed urgently. It is leading to educational apartheid where, as the boys' mother believes, those with money can avail of private assessments and those without cannot do so.

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