I plan to show O’Keeffe some emotion over his cuts

I’M told Education Minister Batt O’Keeffe will not attend the rally on cuts to services for children with special educational needs and other disability-related cuts in Mallow tomorrow. Those attending will therefore not have the opportunity to respond to his article in your issue last Saturday (‘Muddying the waters is unhelpful to everyone’).

For this reason I wish to respond on their behalf.

In the article the minister laid out what he obviously hoped would sound like a rational argument for scrapping special classes for children with mild learning disability.

The argument essentially was that his decision was in line with the policy of the Department of Education — in other words, his own policy. This is a distinctly circular argument.

The fact is the policies of the department, and therefore of the minister, are deeply flawed first and foremost because they start with the policy, not with the student.

Article 42 of the constitution guarantees every child an education appropriate to his or her needs.

Most constitutional rights are modified by the availability of resources. However, the right to free appropriate primary education based on the needs of the child is one of the few that are not.

We think we are in a recession, but in comparison to the people who endorsed the constitution in 1937, we are rich. Despite the poverty of the time they put no financial qualifier on the education of children.

They understood how precious children are and they also grasped the fact that children are the nation’s future.

The Department of Education policy, on the other hand, seems to be based entirely on budget irrespective of a child’s constitutional right to have needs met.

Aside from the announced cut to special classes, there is an increasing tsunami of cuts in other areas of education, health spending and social welfare. Cuts and denials of services are affecting thousands of children and adults who are disabled, sick or elderly across the country.

We are in a recession and the money must be found somewhere.

If, for a start, consultants were denied their pay increase, if executives were denied their bonuses and if politicians took a 20% pay cut, no one would be damaged. But when essential services are taken from the sick, disabled, elderly and from children, there is real suffering and even death.

I think the most telling argument in Minister O’Keeffe’s article, however, is his plea that “we do not cloud facts with emotion”.

Minister, I will not apologise for the fact that I feel a whole range of emotions when services to the most vulnerable are cut. I admit to feeling angry, outraged even, worried, protective and very, very determined that these cuts are reversed.

But tomorrow I will be happy also because the rally, while sending a strong message to the Government, will be attended by lots of families and children.

So minister, if there is any last-minute change in your plans, please come along to the Hibernian Hotel, Mallow, from 2pm to 4pm.

Listen to the people and see just who it is these cuts are affecting. And maybe then a dose of emotion will clear rather than cloud the facts.

Kathy Sinnott MEP

Ballinabearna

Ballinhassig

Co Cork