Revealed: Quinn kept cuts secret for 3 weeks

Furious parents, children, and teachers will take to the streets next week as the extent of the Government’s special education cuts hit home.

As public anger grows, the Irish Examiner can reveal the level of the cuts was signed off by Ruairi Quinn’s department three weeks ago, but officials ordered no details be made public until this week.

The Department of Education knew the level of increased demand since mid-April and decided at the end of May that pupils should only get 75% of recommended resource teaching hours, when the body that allocates the staff to schools had finalised applications. However, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) — an independent statutory agency — was asked not to tell schools until two days ago.

Bracing myself to do battle yet again - annual #SNA cuts timed so we spend the summer worrying bout our special needs kids - nice one ta!

— Ann Brehony (@AnnBrehony) June 19, 2013

The news will cause fury among parents and principals, who learned of the latest cuts barely a week before primary schools close for summer. These and reduced access to special needs assistants (SNAs) for many children has prompted next Wednesday’s protest at the Dáil, where TDs will be voting on a Fianna Fáil motion on the cuts after a two-night debate.

“This really adds insult to injury. Not only have special needs pupils had their hours slashed but it appears the decision was withheld for nearly three weeks,” said Sheila Nunan, general secretary of the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation, which called the protest.

“The NCSE committed earlier this year to get decisions to schools so they could have certainty about staffing. Because of the delay, many schools won’t have time to put staff in place for September.”

The department said it wrote to the NCSE on May 30 about the 75% resource teaching allocation. As a 12% cut on last year, it means pupils with severe disabilities losing 15 more minutes of teaching a day.

NCSE staff were told to keep it secret and, apart from chairman Eamon Stack, even its own board was not told at a meeting last week. On the same day, the NCSE began preparing the announcement with PR firm Carr Communications.

“The date of announcement was a decision of the department. As in previous years, the decision was made to announce resource teacher and special needs assistant [allocations] together,” said the NCSE.

Around 42,500 primary and second-level pupils will have fewer resource teaching hours in September. The 11% increase in applications and a cap on resource teacher numbers, agreed with the troika by the last government, are behind the cut.

Mr Quinn was again unavailable for interview, while Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore was accused by opposition TDs of misleading the Dáil for not conceding individual children’s teaching will be cut. He said the Government’s commitment to special education needs cannot be doubted, as it spends the same €1.3bn this year, but more pupils applied for extra supports.