€17.5m overspend on special needs assistants

THE Department of Education went €17.5 million over budget when it employed 350 extra special needs assistants to help pupils with disabilities last year.

But this fact has been welcomed by teachers’ unions as it means greater priority is being given to meeting the needs of children with physical disabilities and learning difficulties.

The department had been allocated €194.3m to employ an extra 674 assistants at primary level and 152 more at second level last year, to bring the total to 6,273 and 625 respectively.