Minister’s confusion fuels SNA chaos
Minister’s confusion fuels SNA chaos - The Labour Party
Labour education spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has called on Government to provide immediate clarity to schools, SNAs and families following the Minister for Education’s failure this morning to confirm how long the pause on changes to the Special Needs Assistant review will last, and whether schools will lose vital supports. Speaking today, Deputy Kenny urged Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil to guarantee that SNAs will not be redeployed and that no school will see its allocation cut.
Deputy Kenny said:
“This week Government blinked after an enormous backlash from school communities, parents and SNAs across the country who feared the impact of proposed changes to SNA allocations. The appearance by Minister Moynihan on Morning Ireland today has only deepened uncertainty. The Minister was as clear as muck and could not confirm the length of this so-called pause on the review. He could not tell schools whether they will lose SNAs or what the timeframe is for decisions that will directly impact children with additional needs.
“We now have a situation where the Government has kicked this review to touch. The promise of a meticulous review of the reviews raises more questions than answers. What does that actually mean for a school principal trying to plan supports for September, or for an SNA worried about redeployment? This looks like an attempt to buy time and take the heat out of this scandal.
“Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil must now give a cast iron guarantee that no SNA will be redeployed and that the role will not be diminished in any way. The supports that SNAs provide are fundamental to inclusion in our education system. Treating their future as an open question is an awful way to treat the very people who make our schools work for children with additional needs.
“The Labour Party will be attending the national protest outside Leinster House next Wednesday at 5pm, and our representatives will be standing with SNAs and families at protests in communities nationwide. We must come together now in support of our SNAs and show this Government that we will not accept anything less than a changed approach to the treatment of SNAs, to the support of children, and to building a society that truly values care.”