Taoiseach must honour promise that teachers would not carry out special education assessments – Kenny
Taoiseach must honour promise that teachers would not carry out special education assessments – Kenny - The Labour Party
Labour Education Spokesperson Eoghan Kenny TD has called on the Government to clarify its proposals for special education placements, almost eleven months after he raised the same concerns directly with Taoiseach Micheál Martin during Leaders’ Questions.
Deputy Kenny said:
“On 10 December last year, I challenged the Taoiseach during Leaders’ Questions about the Government’s proposal to remove diagnostic requirements for access to special classes and special schools.
“I specifically asked whether teachers or Special Educational Needs Organisers would be expected to carry out these new educational assessments.
“The Taoiseach assured me that assessment teams would be established and that teachers would not be carrying out the assessments.
“Almost eleven months later, teachers and their representatives are still expressing serious concerns about what these changes will mean for schools, staff and children with additional needs.
“As a former teacher, I said then, and I repeat today, teachers cannot and should not be expected to take on the responsibilities of psychologists, clinicians or multidisciplinary assessment teams.
“No child should have to wait unnecessarily for a diagnosis to receive appropriate educational support. However, removing diagnostic requirements without a properly resourced and professionally informed alternative cannot be the answer.
“The INTO raised concerns about the lack of consultation when these proposals were first announced, while special school principals have warned about the implications for appropriate placements and identifying children’s individual needs.
“We cannot have a situation where responsibility is simply transferred from an overstretched health and disability system to an already overstretched education system.
“The Minister for Education must now explain who will carry out these assessments, what qualifications they will hold, what safeguards will be in place and how schools will be supported.
“Above all, the Government must honour the commitment given by the Taoiseach on the floor of the Dáil last December.
“Children deserve the right educational setting, parents deserve certainty and teachers deserve clarity about their professional responsibilities. Almost eleven months on, they should not still be waiting for answers.”