Independent Galway West candidate and Mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard has said children with additional needs are being “failed” by the education system, amid ongoing concerns about a shortage of school places and supports.
His comments come as figures indicate that more than 7,800 children require a special school place for the coming year, while around 5,500 places are currently available.
Cllr Cubbard said that while some progress has been made, the overall direction of policy is deeply concerning.
“While I acknowledge Minister Hildegarde Naughton and her department are making some strides towards addressing the problem, the key fact remains that children with support needs are being failed by the education system,” he said. “They continue to face multiple barriers when trying to access their basic right to an education.”
He pointed to recent changes in how special education teaching hours are allocated as further evidence of a system under strain.
“I have heard from some primary school teachers that a recently introduced circular by the Department setting out staffing arrangements for schools will cause more harm than good.”
He said the use of school enrolment as a factor in allocating special education teaching hours could result in reduced supports in some schools.
“With more than half of all primary schools experiencing falling pupil numbers, we now have a situation where one in five primary schools will lose special education teaching hours next year,” he explained. “That tells you everything you need to know. We are not moving forward, we are going backwards.”
Cllr Cubbard said that the Department of Education is either not listening to parents or teachers’ unions, or it is listening and choosing to ignore them. Either way, it is our children who are being let down and who are suffering. That is a disgraceful situation in a modern republic.”
Mr Cubbard also criticised the approach to expanding special classes in mainstream schools, saying these are often dependent on available space.
“The reality is that very few schools have that space available,” he added. “What we are seeing instead is the increasing use of prefabricated classrooms. Placing children with complex needs into prefabs is not inclusion and does not provide an appropriate learning environment for children with complex needs. It is segregation and it is a throwback to a different era.”
During his campaign in Galway West, Mr Cubbard said he is meeting parents who were sending their children outside their local area due to a lack of school places, particularly at secondary school level.
He said this places an additional burden on families and limits children’s ability to be educated within their own communities.
He said the situation requires urgent and sustained action. “This is about dignity, equality and basic rights. Every child deserves access to education in a setting that supports them properly.”
