Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the issues addressed in the context of NEPS in Fianna Fáil's Private Members' motion. I not only want to focus on the issue of the chronically understaffed NEPS but also on the provision of special needs supports in our schools. NEPS is also responsible for ensuring that the special educational needs of a child are met in tandem with the provision of special needs assistants for a school. First, on the issue of staffing for NEPS, the programme for Government stated its intention to increase the number of NEPS psychologists in the country by 65. However, the Government has already delayed on this commitment, as indicated in the Minister's 2017 Action Plan for Education, where the Minister commits to only beginning the hiring process for ten new staff to NEPS as opposed to 65 by the first quarter of this year.

It was indicated to the Dáil that a total of 34,500 primary pupils, or one in six primary schools, are still without direct access to a NEPS psychologist. However, the total number of children possibly affected by the lack of access to NEPS could be many as 95,000 pupils and 397 schools. This may be the case if we include children who are on long waiting lists to see a NEPS psychologist. This inconsistency is undoubtedly leading to a growing inequality in access to education across the country. While a child is waiting for a NEPS assessment, he or she is missing out on access to vital resource teaching hours and learning supports. The current situation also privileges those who can afford to pay for private assessment, thereby exacerbating social inequality.

The reformed system of resource allocation where access to resource teaching would no longer rely upon a formal diagnosis of learning difficulty, although welcome, has serious implications as it is unclear how this new system would be implemented. The Minister recently announced a new assessment process for schools in regard to determining DEIS status. Despite my numerous parliamentary questions to him on exactly how this new assessment framework operates, huge gaps are present in his explanation and it is still unclear how the Department determines a school's DEIS classification. This leads me to believe that a large part of the process is left to the discretion of the Minister or his Department so there is flexibility in which schools are classified and which are declassified.

I would be concerned that the very same process will ensue in the new model of allocation of resource teacher hours for schools. The new model will allocate teachers to schools according to the profiled educational needs of each school, but how exactly will NEPS profile the education needs of each school in a way that is fair, transparent and truly reflective of need?

I would also make the point that while we discuss the need to increase the number of NEPS psychologists available to schools, we need to talk about the allocation of special needs assistants for children with physical disabilities. One consequence of increases in numbers within NEPS is an increase in the need for special needs assistants and in the number of children undergoing assessment. The problem is the inequality inherent in the assessment process. There have been cases where very young children with type 1 diabetes are told by NEPS they are not entitled to an SNA and must share an SNA with a child who has autism or who has entirely different needs and takes completely different classes within the school. This is not a reflection of an equitable allocation of resources and it is certainly not reflective of need.

On the issue of equipment, some schools cannot get funding from the HSE to provide the necessary equipment for students who may not be able to attend school otherwise. They may even have special needs assistants allocated to them but once they attend school, barriers are prevented due the lack of necessary equipment. This could be anything from a hoist to special chairs or proper lighting for sensory issues. Last year, a school in Dungloe, County Donegal, was left to fund-raise for vital equipment for students with severe disabilities. Proper equipment and support staff are critical to students' progression in their educational development. I echo calls across the House that the Government must begin to take seriously the right of the child to education.

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