Criticism of special need cuts wrong - O'Keeffe

COMMENTS MADE by the Barnardos children’s charity about reductions in teacher support for students with learning disabilities were unbalanced and misleading, Minister for Education Batt O’Keeffe said yesterday.

Mr O’Keeffe said he was disappointed by a press release issued by Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay, which the Minister claimed would “cause anxiety” to the parents of children with mild general learning disabilities.

The press release, issued on February 11th, followed the announcement that special teacher supports for over 530 children with mild general learning disabilities were to be cut without any prior consultation between the Department of Education, the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation or special needs teachers.

In the press release, Barnardos described the cuts in special needs classes as a “betrayal of most vulnerable and defenceless children”.

“They are also children whose parents have been told, again and again, that their children have rights under disability legislation and especially under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act,” it states.

In a letter addressed to and circulated at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education yesterday, Mr O’Keeffe said the contents of the release “do not reflect the situation in schools and in particular the situation in DEIS .”

Mr O’Keeffe said the comments made by Mr Finlay appeared to be “based on reports in the media” and that he would have expected Barnardos to contact his department to “confirm the facts”.

“To suggest that the children in the 128 classes who will now be mainstreamed will have their educational opportunities damaged is wrong and misleading,” he wrote.

In response to the letter, Mr Finlay said he was surprised at the personal nature of Mr O’Keeffe’s comments and that he stood by the press release. “Facts are facts,” he said. “We got calls from a number of parents who were concerned by the decision.

“A significant number of special needs children who were getting a service . . . had the service withdrawn and it was withdrawn to save money and not for educational reasons . . . ”

The education committee also heard details of the school-building programme from representatives of the Department of Education.

Frank Wyse, assistant secretary of the department, said €656 million has been allocated for school buildings this year and 78 projects at primary and post-primary level were to be commenced.

Fine Gael education spokesman Brian Hayes said the school-building programme was an “issue of concern” around the country, and many principals felt they could not get their works completed unless they were friends with a TD.