The Government announced its decisions regarding SNAs last week like a wrecking ball. It was an incredible situation where teachers, parents, SNAs and, of course, children were not spoken to. The manner in which the Government presented this information to schools around the country was incredible. It created a wave of stress and panic in many families and many schools last week. The ineptitude of the Government's approach last week was startling and it showed the lack of centrality of families, SNAs and teachers in the Government's plans for this space, as if its plans are divorced from the people they are meant to affect and help in the future. I welcome the Government's U-turn on this but this is a result of that ineptitude. The reality is that special education in this country is a national scandal. We have a system that does not support children. We have a system that battles children and parents. Just a few weeks ago, parents were forced to sleep outside Leinster House to protest and demand their children's right to education. These are families who have been locked out of education and have received up to 60 rejection letters from schools and children who applied at the age of four to start school and by the age of six had still not secured a school place. That the Department and the State would fail in their constitutional responsibility here is shocking. What is the reward for those children who had to struggle? Once they finally kicked down the door and gained access to the classroom, the Department's first instinct was to pull the rug from under them and slash SNA supports in certain schools. It is cruel to give children a seat at the table and then take away the support they need to sit at that table. The State has spent 22 years in non-commencement of the EPSEN Act as a shield against its own responsibilities. Section 2 is not an aspiration; it is a mandate that these children should receive their education in an inclusive environment. By withdrawing SNA support, the Government made an inclusive environment impossible in certain schools, for certain children. The Government is effectively carrying out a backdoor repeal of their rights, telling these children that their place in mainstream education is conditional on a Department spreadsheet rather than their legal entitlements. That is a massive mistake for this Government to make. Each one of these children is a citizen of this country, and the job of the education system is to make sure that each of them reaches their full potential, rather than have a situation where they are in a constant battle with the Government. I ask that we have a proper review of this system and match resources with needs throughout the education system.

Sentiment score: -0.05