Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 31 May 1994

Vol. 443 No. 4

Written Answers. - Provision for Special Educational Needs.

Mary Flaherty

Question:

64 Miss Flaherty asked the Minister for Education the proposals, if any, she has to respond to the needs of children with learning difficulties by ensuring the availability of in-service training for teachers, the removal of endorsements for special examinations and other improvements in services for children with such difficulties.

Minister for Education (Ms Bhreathnach)

As Minister for Education, I am implementing a broad range of measures in the context of an extended programme of in-career development for teachers, including teachers dealing with the needs of children with learning difficulties. My Department has issued priority lists for the attention of course providers at both first and second levels. Identified priorities include literacy and numeracy; special education; the identification, remediation and prevention of learning difficulties in pupils; providing for children with special needs and with specific disabilities in mainstream national schools; the education of traveller children; special school requirements; psychological and guidance activities.

In addition, courses dealing with the following specific needs of children with special needs and those with specific learning disabilities are planned, many on a cross-sectoral-primary second level basis: revised programmes of training in remedial education, courses for teachers of severe and profoundly mentally handicapped children, courses for teachers of special classes at post-primary level, courses for resource teachers and visiting teachers, courses for teachers of travelling children, courses for teachers of the emotionally disturbed, visually and hearing impaired and physically handicapped, courses for teachers involved in the home-school liaison scheme and courses for teachers of migrant children.

With regard to the examinations, my Department operates a scheme of special consideration which is intended for candidates who, because of a physical or psychological disability, would be unable to demonstrate the knowledge they have learned to an examiner and is aimed, as far as possible, at removing the impact of the disability on the candidate's performance. The scheme is currently under review and among the items under consideration is the question of whether reference should be made on the certificate to any special conditions under which the examination was conducted. The present practice is not to refer in any way to such matters on the certificates. This practice will be continued in 1994.

With regard to the future, I can certainly assure you that no change in current practice will take place without the fullest consideration of all the issues involved and that, if any change is determined, schools and candidates will be advised well in advance of examinations.

The Deputy will be well aware of my commitment to the on-going improvement of educational services for all children with special educational needs. Since assuming office, I have sought to ensure that additional resources have been targeted on areas of educational disadvantage. In the remedial area, for example, I allocated an additional 80 posts to national schools in 1993 and recently announced a further allocation of 100 such posts from September next. As a result of these allocations, the total number of remedial posts in national schools will have risen to 1,133. This in turn will mean that 2,046 schools with approximately 84 per cent of primary school pupils will have access to a remedial service. I will also be allocating an additional 120 posts to the special education area from September next. The precise deployment of these posts is being actively considered at the present time in order to ensure that they are targeted on areas of greatest need.

In addition, I recently announced a range of radical increases in the rates of special capitation funding provided for pupils with special educational needs. These new rates not only include major increases for all recipients of special capitation funding, but incorporate, for the first time, specific higher rates for pupils of post-primary age. Nor are any of the foregoing measures being introduced on anad-hoc or haphazard basis. I am guided in my actions by the recommendations contained in the report of the Special Education Review Committee, which represents the most comprehensive examination of the special needs area ever undertaken in the State. The report of the review committee in turn is part of a development process centred on the forthcoming White Paper on Education and the Education Act which will follow. I can assure the House that this basic framework for the future of our education service will have as one of its basic objectives to make appropriate provisions for all children with special educational needs.