Special Needs Assistants?

Question

Are the Irish Government trying to cut back on the allocation of Snas for special needs children in mainstream schools? I think this is not right as they dont have enough places in special schools for these children, surely all children have a right to an education appropriate to their needs. This seems to be a case of targeting the weakest again. I hope the parents of these children will stop this happening.

Answer 1

The link I've posted is for an Irish websites, maybe you're on there already,  it has a series of forums where you can chat with other Irish people.  I'm sure there'll be somewhere here who can give you information but in the meantime you might find some like minded souls here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/

Answer 2

this country is stupid......there is not enough lsa's anymore. these special need children can be brighter than other pupils. they will end up with no proper education . this is discrimination

Answer 3

Yes they are, and it's completely moronic because it's going to cost millions in the long term.  The criteria for a child getting an SNA are unbelievably strict already, and don't include any special educational needs.  We have to fight to get SNAs for children in our schools, they're not automatically allocated to children with a condition that warrants an SNA at all.  If all of these children were given an SNA, and class sizes were reduced, everyone would get a better education.