Fidelma Healy Eames (Fine Gael)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

noting—

— the withdrawal of approximately 1,200 special needs assistants from schools throughout the country;

— the Government's failure to implement the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004;

— the abolition of over 120 special needs classes last year;

— the Minister for Education and Science's failure to publish advice from the National Council for Special Education on special needs provision;

considering—

— the enormous pressure this places on mainstream teachers to manage diversity, multiculturalism and language needs, as well as the special needs of students;

— the fact that the Department of Education and Science has not clarified whether schools which have lost an SNA or a special class will be provided with additional special needs supports;

— many mainstream teachers have not had access to specialist training in special needs teaching;

— the potential impact withdrawing such supports will have on the overall quality of education;

calls on Government to:

— publish the National Council for Special Education's advice on this issue;

— provide a timeline for the implementation of the EPSEN Act 2004; and

— clarify what additional resources will be provided for schools which have lost special needs supports.

On behalf of Fine Gael, I am happy to move this motion on special educational needs. The Minister is welcome.

I note that Mr. Michael O'Leary is appearing before the Joint Committee on Transport, but this is the House the focus should be on such is the impact the cuts in the area of special educational needs are having on children's lives. Before I go into detail, I would like to speak in general terms about the Minister's Department.

While we fight many battles, we are here for the good of children, the good of students and, ultimately, the good of the nation because education is the great builder and of strategic importance. However, the Minister is dismantling bit by bit our education system. There is a crisis in the teaching of science and mathematics in our schools. There have been cuts in teacher numbers in the sciences. Half of our teachers do not have a qualification in mathematics, yet it is meant to be the cornerstone in building the country into a knowledge and innovation economy. The NUI office has been abolished, which will affect our iconic brand internationally. One in six children leave school early. The cut in teacher numbers has led to an increase in the pupil-teacher ratio which is affecting all our children, including those with special educational needs who have been placed in mainstream classes. The non-replacement of teachers in key posts at middle management level has been widely publicised. It means essentially that our schools will be made unworkable. In addition, there is the third level funding crisis. Most of the constituency issues with which I am dealing concern grants for students. All of this is undermining the education service available to the customer - the child. The child with special educational needs is the most vulnerable of all. That has led to the motion before the House.

In 2006 the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, stated "the current support framework, in almost all its manifestations, is unable at present to provide the necessary levels of support for inclusion in our primary schools." What has happened since? The answer is that the position has worsened. The economic downturn has led to the Minister starting to make cuts. Last year over 500 children with mild learning difficulties were placed in mainstream classes. I am keen to hear how these children are getting on and what the Minister knows about the matter. He must account for how children with special educational needs can function in mainstream classes without adequate supports, a special needs assistant or resource teacher hours, all of which are being cut. It seems vulnerable children are paying for the sins of Fianna Fáil in government. This should make it very uncomfortable for the Minister, as to have vulnerable children paying the price and all these teachers-----