Irish Examiner view: Misguided plan results in immediate U-turn

May this pause become a permanent one

Minister for education Hildegarde Naughton said there would be 'no cuts to SNA numbers', and that no further letters about SNAs would be issued to schools until the Government had finished its examination of the matter. Picture: Leon Farrell /Photocall Ireland

The Government’s decision to cut the number of special needs assistants (SNAs) in schools was paused yesterday by education minister Hildegarde Naughton. She said there would be “no cuts to SNA numbers”, and that no further letters about SNAs would be issued to schools until the Government had finished its examination of the matter.

As reported here by Jess Casey, the first schools had already been learning the details of plans to reduce their individual numbers of SNA posts following reviews by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The contradictions involved were apparent immediately: Even as schools were to lose SNA posts, the overall number of such posts in the system — including special classes and special schools — was set to increase from September this year.