DUBLIN—A review carried out by the Department of Education titled ‘A Value for Money Review of Expenditure on the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Scheme’, found that there had been an ‘over-allocation’ of assistants.
According to the Department of Education the “review has shown that the SNA Scheme is supporting schools in meeting the needs of students with disabilities who also have significant care needs. However, it is clear that the allocation process is generally not well understood within schools and by parents nor is the purpose of the Scheme fully understood.”
The report also concluded that the role of the SNA in schools has expanded “far beyond the Scheme’s objectives”. It also claims that there is evidence of “over-allocation” of SNA posts.
A government decision to introduce a cap on overall SNA means that those responsibile for allocating SNA resources must also take into account overall numbers and budgetary considerations.
A Department of Education press release this week stated that the “overall allocation of Resource Teacher Support for 2011/2012 has been increased from the 2010/2011 allocation.”
However, there is caveat, an Employment Control Framework (ECF) has been agreed for the Department of Education and Skills for the period 2011 to 2014 as part of a control of public sector numbers and the public sector pay bill.
“Successful achievement of these numbers controls forms a vital component of compliance with the EU/IMF Agreement of Financial Support for Ireland. Failure to comply with this agreement will put in jeopardy the package of international financial support being made available,” stated the Department of Education.
Parents of children with special educational needs from Dublin and the South East took part in a press conference and protest at Leinster house this week to highlight the proposed reduction by 200 in the number of SNAs.
The Press conference organised by members of the Technical group of Independents followed a meeting organised last week by Richard Boyd Barrett TD, of special needs parents, teachers and SNAs. Plans for a campaign to oppose cuts to SNAs was proposed and the technical group will be dedicating its private members time on July 12th and 13th to a motion calling for a reversal of all cuts and caps relating to special needs in education and disability services.
Speaking at the press conference Richard Boyd Barrett TD said that it is not acceptable that vulnerable children and our whole education system will suffer as a result of this political decision made to put the needs of bankers before the needs of children. “It is not only grossly unfair and despicable what they are doing, it is economic madness because the most fundamental building block of any path to economic recovery is to have high quality education for our young people.”
Mr Boyd Barrett said that he believes that the decision is not a good one as it will lead to disruptions in classrooms and thus affect the education of special needs children as well as other children.
In a defiant tone, Mr Boyd Barrett requested the government to ‘back down on this, back off on these cuts’ and to provide the appropriate resources needed. “If they fail to do that they have to be met with a sea of protest in the coming weeks … we need thousands of people on the streets letting the government know they are not going to get away with this,” stated Mr Boyd Barrett.
According to the Department of Education the “review has shown that the SNA Scheme is supporting schools in meeting the needs of students with disabilities who also have significant care needs. However, it is clear that the allocation process is generally not well understood within schools and by parents nor is the purpose of the Scheme fully understood.”
The report also concluded that the role of the SNA in schools has expanded “far beyond the Scheme’s objectives”. It also claims that there is evidence of “over-allocation” of SNA posts.
A government decision to introduce a cap on overall SNA means that those responsibile for allocating SNA resources must also take into account overall numbers and budgetary considerations.
A Department of Education press release this week stated that the “overall allocation of Resource Teacher Support for 2011/2012 has been increased from the 2010/2011 allocation.”
However, there is caveat, an Employment Control Framework (ECF) has been agreed for the Department of Education and Skills for the period 2011 to 2014 as part of a control of public sector numbers and the public sector pay bill.
“Successful achievement of these numbers controls forms a vital component of compliance with the EU/IMF Agreement of Financial Support for Ireland. Failure to comply with this agreement will put in jeopardy the package of international financial support being made available,” stated the Department of Education.
Parents of children with special educational needs from Dublin and the South East took part in a press conference and protest at Leinster house this week to highlight the proposed reduction by 200 in the number of SNAs.
The Press conference organised by members of the Technical group of Independents followed a meeting organised last week by Richard Boyd Barrett TD, of special needs parents, teachers and SNAs. Plans for a campaign to oppose cuts to SNAs was proposed and the technical group will be dedicating its private members time on July 12th and 13th to a motion calling for a reversal of all cuts and caps relating to special needs in education and disability services.
Speaking at the press conference Richard Boyd Barrett TD said that it is not acceptable that vulnerable children and our whole education system will suffer as a result of this political decision made to put the needs of bankers before the needs of children. “It is not only grossly unfair and despicable what they are doing, it is economic madness because the most fundamental building block of any path to economic recovery is to have high quality education for our young people.”
Mr Boyd Barrett said that he believes that the decision is not a good one as it will lead to disruptions in classrooms and thus affect the education of special needs children as well as other children.
In a defiant tone, Mr Boyd Barrett requested the government to ‘back down on this, back off on these cuts’ and to provide the appropriate resources needed. “If they fail to do that they have to be met with a sea of protest in the coming weeks … we need thousands of people on the streets letting the government know they are not going to get away with this,” stated Mr Boyd Barrett.
To rising applause in a packed room in Dublin’s Bushwell hotel Mr Barret concluded by saying the IMF have to be told to “get stuffed, we are not going to sacrifice our children and our education system in order to pay off the greed of bankers and speculators.”
Margaret Wickham, parent of ten-year-old Dylan attending St Senan’s School in Enniscorthy, in an emotional plea said “I’m the person who is there a 1 o'clock in the morning, tucking my child into bed for the tenth time, struggling and wondering, what’s going to happen to him, if he does not get the care he needs now we are looking at long-term residential care … the government are so short sighted, they can’t see that money spent now is money well spent.”
