Aidan Farrelly (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleagues in Sinn Féin for tabling this motion. I extend my best wishes to both the Minister and the Minister of State. I wish them the very best over this term. It is clear to see, and clear from what we have heard this evening, that they have inherited something of an emergency when it comes to special education.

I am here to advocate on behalf of parents, students, teachers, SNAs and the entire school community. I will tell the Minister why we have an emergency in front of us. It is because the people we are speaking about matter. They cannot afford to wait for the latest long-term visionary plan to be implemented. They cannot afford to live in hope a new classroom or extension is built in five to ten years. They cannot ignore the reality the system is under so much pressure that everyone involved is at the brink of breaking point all the time. I am not trying to sensationalise anything about this issue but these are not my words. They are those of the children, parents, principals, teachers, SNAs and entire school communities I have spoken to. Parents are tired and scared. They are worn out trying to navigate a system of care and education that seems designed to wear people down. Many are confused as to how they can do everything right only for the system to let them and their children down. There are six students in primary school who are due to finish next year and they already know they will not have a place in secondary school that is appropriate for them, and 2026 is 18 months away.

I have heard the message loud and clear from the entire school community, including principals, teachers and SNAs. They believe it boils down to resourcing. I noted the Minister’s opening comments about education being a career choice that is a really positive one and we are seeing that in the numbers. I echo that assertion completely, but there is a gap in research when it comes to retention, welfare and how teachers are in their jobs, certainly when it comes to special education, and we should not under-emphasise the stress and pressure on the resource as it is. There are simply not enough occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, psychologists, teachers and special needs assistants. We see this manifest in class sizes that are increasing, waiting lists being too long and cracks in the system becoming too wide. What meaningful steps is this Government going to take to address this? If we are in any way serious about inclusion then it is time for this Government to put its money where its mouth is. If we are in any way serious about inclusion we would actively seek to ensure every child in this State has a school place that is appropriate for their needs. We should emphasise that unless it is chosen home tuition should never be the solution. I received answers to parliamentary questions this week indicating close to 15% of children and young people waiting for CAMHS will wait for over a year. How can this be our reality?

The system for assessment and service provision is archaic and frankly an insult to the parents, teachers and aligned professionals who are trying in earnest to interact with it. We are talking about a sector of acronyms, including SET, SNA, CDNT, HSE, OT, SLT, CAMHS, NCSE and SENO. This Government needs to get to grips with this emergency now. The children and young people at home who do not have an appropriate school place or who languish on waiting lists for months and months need this Government now. The parents who are so worn out need this Government now. The entire school community needs this Government now. If we commit to nothing else but to meaningfully engage in a listening exercise with everybody involved then this motion will have been very worthwhile.

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