O'Keeffe defends special needs cutbacks

MINISTER FOR Education Batt O’Keeffe has rejected Fine Gael claims that his decisions on special needs education were “terrorising” parents.

Mr O’Keeffe said that if parents were being terrorised, it was on the basis of misinformation from the Opposition, and he told Fine Gael spokesman Brian Hayes that “you can’t have it both ways” on mainstream and special needs education.

During education questions, Mr Hayes repeatedly asked the Minister if “128 special classes are to be abolished from September 1st”, in a row over cutbacks in special needs education.

Mr O’Keeffe said that, in the early stages, the Opposition was claiming that 900 pupils were involved. It was 534. He said Mr Hayes had to make up his mind whether he agreed with the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities that “children with a mild learning disability be integrated and educated with their peers”.

The Minister said that in the case of classes for mild general learning disability the pupil teacher ratio was 11:1 with a minimum of 9:1, but in 128 classes in 119 schools it was lower and there were five or fewer children in half those classes.

Pressed by Mr Hayes, he said “where there are two special classes on the same campus and the school can demonstrate a particular educational advantage in that regard I will consider amalgamating those classes”.

Mr Hayes claimed it was on the tip of the Minister’s tongue to say it was up to schools to make a case and then a “political” decision would be made.

But Mr O’Keeffe said Mr Hayes had to decide whether he supported a policy of integration “which psychologically, socially and emotionally is better for the child”.

Mr Hayes said “there are some children it won’t work for”.