Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The decision to cut the hours of resource teachers should not have been made in the first place, as was decisively shown by the decision to reverse the cut. The country should protect the education system but many people believe it has hit rock bottom and there is very little to give. The pupil-teacher ratio has been increased twice in the past four years and careers guidance counselling has been lost in many schools. Principals have been trying to work through problems for the past three or four years but at this point, as noted by other Deputies, we must hear from the Minister that there will be no more increases in the pupil-teacher ratio. Schools will not be able to cope with that on top of having to provide for students who have been transferred to the mainstream. The decision was taken to put our most vulnerable special needs children into the mainstream so it is the Government's responsibility to meet the needs of those pupils but not at the cost of anybody else. That is the bottom line.

Has there been consideration of issues like increasing the financial transaction tax to provide money for increased hours for resource teachers? I have received reports from schools which have been refused special needs assistant resources despite going through the process. Those questions will be raised in the future and they must be dealt with. The Minister should protect education now rather than bring it down any more.

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