Rollback on SNA cuts raises serious questions
Rollback on SNA cuts raises serious questions - The Labour Party
- Government row back welcome, however damage to Special Education deeply concerning
Labour education spokesperson Deputy Eoghan Kenny has said serious questions remain for Government following its decision to roll back proposed cuts to Special Needs Assistant supports and allocate €19 million for additional SNAs.
Deputy Kenny said that while the reversal follows widespread anger from parents, schools and SNAs across the country, Government must now explain how it allowed such a damaging policy to emerge in the first place.
Deputy Kenny said:
“On the face of it, the decision to row back on proposed cuts to SNA positions and to find €19 million for additional SNAs is positive. Families who feared losing vital support for their children will feel some relief. Schools that faced uncertainty can breathe slightly easier. But we cannot simply move on as if this never happened. We need to look at why this happened in the first place. Government created this policy. They directed the NCSE to implement it. The changes were rolled out and school communities were left scrambling. Only after a huge national outcry from parents, SNAs and schools did Government reverse course. That is not leadership. That is panic.
“The reality is that the issue has not been resolved. They have simply kicked the can down the road. Government are buying time and hoping this issue will be forgotten about by the academic year 2027 to 2028. Schools still need clarity. SNAs still need certainty. Families still need reassurance that supports will match the real needs of children in classrooms.
“There is clearly no confidence in the NCSE after this debacle. That is deeply worrying for a body tasked with allocating vital supports for children with additional needs. We cannot have a special education system lurching from crisis to crisis depending on the political weather.
“Government must now come forward with a clear, long term plan to rebuild trust, guarantee SNA supports and properly reform special education so that this never happens again.”