E-Scéal 61: Minister Hanafin's New Sense of Urgency and Respect for Principals
- Published: 23 October 2004
Minister Hanafin appears to bring a greater sense of urgency to sorting out the on-going crisis of resourcing children with SEN. IPPN has been in contact with the Minister offering constructive and practical support & advice in addressing the myriad of difficulties faced by Principals on a daily basis. We welcome the decision announced by the Minister that children will not lose existing resources and that she plans to review the details of the 'weighted model'. IPPN has already pointed out the serious anomalies arising from the proposed 'weighted model' - see E-scéal 61 Press Release.
Another welcome development is the commitment by the Minister to have Principals contacted as early as possible in any situation where responses to applications for resources are still awaited. Arising from this new commitment by the Minister, the Special Education Section of the DES contacted IPPN today seeking all Principals' mobile telephone numbers (!) Naturally, we could not accede to this request due to Data Protection legislation and indeed commitment to our members' privacy, particularly in light of the forthcoming (standardised) mid-term break. Instead, IPPN offered to communicate with principals by E-scéal and Text Message this afternoon, informing members that the Special Education Section is prioritising to contact principals with results of SEN applications at the earliest possible opportunity. In the context of the mid-term break this will now happen from Tuesday November 2nd, unless a Principal chooses to make initiate contact with Athlone before then.
Today IPPN was requested to comment on the Minister's announcement. The interview can be heard by clicking on the link below.
Meanwhile, I wish you a well deserved break and opportunity to recover from the hectic nature of school life.
Is mise le meas,
Seán Cottrell
Director
