Yesterday (Thursday ) a delegation from St Anthony’s Special School in Castlebar, along with a number of other special schools, met with the joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Science in Leinster House to discuss the ongoing row over the axing of a number of special needs assistants jobs.
Fiona Byrnes, principal of St Anthony’s, spoke to the Mayo Advertiser just after the committee finished meeting and was happy with the reception the schools got. “It was a very good meeting, we received widespread cross party support from both TDs and senators,” she said. “They are all very aware now of the feeling there is on the ground about this issue and what it means to the people affected. The schools made a presentation on what the cuts will mean to them, and especially how a withdrawal of SNA support during the middle of the year will affect students.”
Ms Byrnes said the committee also questioned the value of the whole school evaluation that was carried out on St Anthony’s last year which spelt out the amount of support needed by the school. They asked how long the report was valid for, and how the National Council for Special Education could determine the school needed less support than outlined in that report.
Earlier this week none of the seven Fianna Fáil members on Mayo County Council put forward a counter proposal to a Fine Gael motion calling for both Dara Calleary TD and Beverly Flynn TD to cross the aisle in Leinster House and support a Fine Gael private members’ bill on stopping the cuts to special needs assistants. Fine Gael councillor Eugene McCormack put forward a motion in which he called for the two Fianna Fáil Mayo TDs to vote against cutting the jobs, and Minister Batt O’Keeffe to reverse his decision on the matter.
Independent councillor Michael Kilcoyne had a cut at Dep Flynn: “I was shocked when I heard Dep Flynn tell the parents of St Anthony’s Special School she wouldn’t vote against the Government, yet she had no problem voting against the Government in respect to her father before,” he told the meeting.
Sinn Féin councillor Rose Conway Walsh said she was appalled by the cuts saying they could lead to future cuts down the line.
Fianna Fáil council whip Mícheál McNamara defended the work done by both Dep Flynn and Minister of State Calleary on the matter. “They have made a very strong case to Minister O’Keeffe and will continue to do so,” he said. He also told the meeting that he himself had met with the Minister on the matter. “Since I attended the public meeting, I have made a 160 mile round trip to meet with Minister O’Keeffe, that’s how important an issue I think this is. It appears that there will be three jobs cut now rather than four, but I have asked the Minister to look at it again. I have no doubt that Dep Flynn and Minister Calleary will do their best.” The motion was passed unanimously without a vote needing to be taken.
