Ulick Burke (Galway East, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputy Brian Hayes for sharing time and I support the motion. The Minister's decision is an unacceptable attack on the education of children with disability. In 128 classes in 119 schools, 534 children are seriously affected by this decision. The fact that it was carried out by the Minister without consultation with the stakeholders in education is a clear indication of his total disregard for people with special needs. In doing so he has robbed them of any hope of realising their full academic potential. It is crystal clear that the decision to slash special education was not only vicious, but also not based on any clear educational policy. If the Minister believes that abolishing 128 special classes is in the interests of students who are to be mainstreamed, why does a report from an independent statutory agency argue the opposite?

The most substantial issue according to parents, teachers and all involved in special education is the impact the cuts will have on the education and consequent life experiences of the pupils who will lose the special education provision. There is also substantial concern over the impact of the movement of numbers of pupils currently in receipt of special education into mainstream classes with regard to the size of the classes and in terms of the further burden placed on teachers in mainstream classes.

In February the Minister wrote to 119 schools indicating that from September 2009 the 128 classes for children with mild general learning disabilities would be discontinued. This decision was made without contacting the parents, the educational partners or the Minister's expert advisers in the National Council for Special Education to obtain their view on cutting the classes. It is clear that this decision was motivated solely by cutting costs. There is no educational justification for this decision. The Minister suggests that the integration of children with special needs is the most appropriate means of education. While that might be true, without the resources in those schools it is unfair not only to the children with special needs, but also to the children in the other classes into which the special needs children now need to be accommodated. That is a fatal mistake on the Minister's part.

Mainstream classes are under serious pressure following numerous cutbacks in front line services already. Class sizes are due to increase from September. Language support teachers and home liaison teachers will also be lost. How can the Minister justify the statement in the Government amendment that it is "ensuring that teaching and care supports are available to children with special needs so that they can continue to access an education that is appropriate to their needs"?

I ask the Minister to reverse this decision because of the serious impact it will have not only on the children and their future, but also on their families who have campaigned for years to establish access to education for their children with special needs. The Minister cannot justifiably allow this to continue and I ask him to reverse his decision.

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