Teaching cut announcement criticised

The Department of Education’s decision that schools not be told until this week of cuts to extra teaching for children with special needs, has been criticised by education figures.

Ruairi Quinn, the education minister, yesterday said he did not tell the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to delay announcing school’s entitlements to resource hours for children who need one-to- one teaching.

But as reported in the Irish Examiner yesterday, his department told the NCSE on May 30 when all resource teaching applications were finalised about the restriction to 75% of recommended hours.