Election candidate Dr Sheila Garrity has condemned the expected shortfall of more than 2,300 special education placements for children as of the 2026-2027 school year.
“This week we learned 2,360 children who require a place in a special school or special education class will not have their needs served this September,” said Ms Garrity, an independent candidate in the upcoming Galway West by-election.
“These are children whose families met the Oct. 1 deadline to notify the National Council for Special Education (NCSE ), yet the Minister for Education said in the Dáil that this cohort of children will not be accommodated this coming school year. There is a further yet unknown number of children whose families notified after Oct. 1, who are also unlikely to be accommodated.
“Every child has a right to appropriate educational experience and this government has an obligation to every child to properly support them in their education. There is still time to rectify this shortfall – I am calling on Minister Naughton and Minister Chambers to meet their duty to all the children and families of Ireland.”
Ms Garrity said that at a time of windfall tax receipts, the State should be funding education to meet the real needs of all children. “As an educator, researcher and as a parent and grandparent, I know that when children’s needs are not met, we can see the negative impact across a range of developmental areas, from social, emotional, cognitive and failing to thrive,” she said. “No child or family should be so poorly served by their government.”
Ms Garrity highlights that this is just one area where this government is failing the children and families of Ireland. Currently there are 4,613 children are on CAMHS waiting lists, 600 waiting more than a year; over 100 children are awaiting spinal surgery; more than 40,000 children are awaiting therapeutic interventions.
“And of course, we all know the damning statistics on housing with nearly 5,000 children now living the daily trauma that is homelessness,” she said. “This is through no fault of their own, nor their families’ but through the fault of the government’s failed housing policies.
“Our current government is increasingly out of touch with the families of Ireland. If elected, I will fight for each child, for each service to be fit for purpose and fully resourced, so that no child is left behind. The government should be prioritising investment in our children. It is unconscionable that these statistics continue to grow, unabated, in such a wealthy country,” concluded Sheila Garrity.
