Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. It is great to have him here. I am raising the issue of mandatory training for teachers of children who are dyslexic. It is probably the most common learning difficulty that we have in our schools at the moment. It affects one in ten children, from a mild to an extreme degree. This equates to an amazing 100,000 children in primary and secondary school education today. The figure is an average of three per classroom. These children and young people have the right to receive a proper education. They have the right to receive reasonable accommodations when it comes to this issue. It is an issue that is very close to my heart. We need to see movement on it. In 2022 we have a scenario where teachers are going through training, and dyslexia as a module is not a mandatory part of the process. I am really concerned about that.

The Dyslexia Association of Ireland has done a survey regarding this over the last few years.A total of 90% of respondents indicated they had received minimal or no training relating to dyslexia when in teacher training college. It is unbelievable that in respect of 100,000 kids, most teachers have received minimal or no specialised training. In the case of those who had received training, they believed it was inadequate.

This issue relates to how we can decode the English language. If this was French, Italian or anything else, we would be able to teach our children how to learn it. Because it is English, however, and because that is processed in a slightly different way by dyslexic students, children are not being taught the appropriate way to learn it. The knock-on effect is that, unfortunately, people turn in on themselves and experience mental health issues and confidence issues throughout life.

Nevertheless, I must acknowledge that a cohort of teachers have done something special in this regard. They have thought outside the box and worked with organisations such as the Dyslexia Association of Ireland to undergo their own upskilling and training. That is a testament to how some teachers have engaged in this process. Even so, that teacher training colleges have no mandatory module dedicated to the matter is a big issue for the cohort of society that needs the support.

Dyslexia is recognised as a disability and reasonable accommodations need to be made for children who have it. This relates to a fundamental right. Without this core skill, not only reading but engaging in other subjects will be a greater challenge and the student will be set back in society. Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities provides that persons have a right to be educated irrespective of whether they have a disability. We are again ignoring that by not giving these children the opportunity to reach their full potential.

We need a few things to happen. The module in respect of dyslexia in the initial teacher training courses has to be made mandatory. Imagine that in 2022, a student teacher in college will learn everything about how to teach a primary or secondary student, yet a module that affects 10% of any given class is not mandatory. It is unbelievable in many ways. Second, there needs to be in-service training for teachers who are in post. They need to be brought up to spec in the same way that some of them have worked so hard to be in order that they will understand the decoding required by someone who is dyslexic. Third, there needs to be a specified role for a teacher with special responsibility for dyslexic pupils in every school.

This affects 10% of the population, not only the schoolgoing population. We need there to be mandatory teacher training in this context or we will continue to face this big issue.