Special education - Cuts having deep impact

Unfortunately, though it is an open-and-shut case, the recommendation of extra funding for the education of young people who are deaf or hard of hearing is no guarantee that a Government hell-bent on cuts will listen.

The basic argument of the National Council for Special Education is that an extra €11m in State funding is needed to ensure deaf children can match the educational achievements of other pupils. Otherwise, they are doomed to lag far behind in their development.

Education is one of the areas where cuts imposed by the Fine Gael-Labour coalition are having a deeply adverse effect on the future prospects of Irish teenagers. There is an onus on Education Minister Ruairi Quinn to respond positively to the council’s cogently argued report. If the salaries of government spin doctors can be increased at the stroke of a ministerial pen, surely the far more deserving needs of young people who are deaf should be properly funded.