Kathryn Reilly (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Okay. Our amendment, like that of Fianna Fáil, was tabled because we felt that more substance was needed in the original motion moved by the Labour Party Senators. The education system should be designed in a way that ensures that all children can reach their full potential. Children with special needs and disabilities should be given the extra assistance they may require to enable them to do so where needed. SNA allocations should not be made solely on the most cost-effective basis.

The principle of inclusive schools is being undermined through an erosion of resources, which means it will be impossible to integrate children with special needs into a mainstream classroom setting. Supports are being withdrawn from children with a wide range of conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia and, in one reported case, Down's syndrome. That has caused massive hardship to extremely vulnerable young children.

This year's NCSE figures on SNA allocations initially indicate that fewer schools have had a reduction in SNA posts compared to last year. However, that is not reflective of the difficulties that are facing schools in managing the needs of more children with the same level of support. There is an information deficit as to what these figures actually mean and how they are affecting individual schools. Teachers are under-resourced and not effectively equipped to manage some students with more complex needs, despite their being able to remain in mainstream schools. It is an unfair situation that needs to be rectified.

At present the number of SNAs that some schools have does not match the needs of their students. There is a great onus, therefore, on school managements to try to distribute those SNAs as best they can. Over the years the role of SNAs has evolved. Parents will confirm what a crucial and pivotal role they play in the daily lives of children with special educational needs. However, deteriorating staffing ratios, shrinking resources and cuts to essential one-to-one interventions are all contributing to a growing crisis in our school system. This is occurring at a time when the special educational needs population is growing.

Rather than a corresponding increase in resources, we see that some of these needs are being placed as a secondary priority. Many Senators have mentioned the delays facing such children when attempting to access NEPS assessments. That is grossly unfair. The general expectation that parents will pay for assessments privately or perhaps seek support from charitable organisations to fund them is not a viable solution. It will leave children from disadvantaged backgrounds at risk of falling behind. Families that cannot afford much-needed assessments will face even more challenges down the road due to the lack of necessary provision.

Early intervention for children with special needs is paramount. Currently, however, we are witnessing waiting lists for diagnosis that will ultimately play havoc with such children's development. Rather than meeting the issue head-on to begin the process of assistance for the child, we are creating a situation in which years can pass with insufficient recognition of the problem.

Schools throughout the State are facing increased class sizes. The pressures have never been so apparent, and any reduction in SNA hours has an effect not just on the child with special educational needs but on the entire class.

I want to raise an issue with the Minister that was not raised earlier. It concerns the youth guarantee scheme. When the scheme was conceived it was intended to address the needs of all young people under the age of 25 who become unemployed, but when the implementation plan was designed it targeted young people between the ages of 18 and 24. However, it targeted those in receipt of jobseeker's payments, which excluded certain sections of society. Young people on disability allowance are not provided for under the youth guarantee scheme; therefore, they are not getting the same education or training opportunities as those on jobseeker's payments within the plan, which is discriminatory. We heard much talk today about higher education, equity of access to education and inclusion, but young people with disabilities are not guaranteed a place in education, training or employment under the youth guarantee implementation plan as articulated by the Government. People with disabilities have as much to offer as those without a disability, and this sends out a negative message which has been articulated to me by a number of youth organisations. There is an inherent danger that if certain people are excluded now, we will embed social exclusion in the system in the long term. That is why I ask the Minister to put pressure on the Minister for Social Protection to review the implementation plan with a view to making it more inclusive for those who have been left on the sidelines.

Along with other Members I call on the Government to ensure equality of access to education and other supports for persons with disabilities within the provision of State services, that these be based upon needs to ensure they can fulfil their educational potential, and that they be granted the right to equal opportunities.