Assistants needed

IT would not be a pre-election spurge if Education Minister Mary Hanafin sanctioned classroom assistants for infants, first and second classes.

The school in which I have spent my life teaching recently “lost” two special needs assistants (SNAs). This, as Ms Hanafin said (Irish Examiner letters, July 28), is because the pupils to whom the SNAs were allocated are leaving.

The SNAs have assigned duties for their particular pupils and also help class teachers with classroom organisation.