Special needs cuts 'could be illegal' [schooldays.ie]
- Published: 15 July 2011
One member of the Dail has suggested proposed cuts to the education budget that could reduce the number of special needs assistants (SNAs) in schools may be illegal.
Independent TD Finian McGrath suggested the proposals may be in breach of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls for all youngsters to be given equal opportunities to learning, the Irish Times reported.
He also suggested it could break laws established in the 2004 Education for People with Special Educational Needs Acts.
The warning came as a motion on a number of measures proposed by Independent TDs - including the reversal of the SNA cuts - was defeated by 103 votes to 47, while around 700 people attended a demonstration outside Leinster House to oppose the changes.
Full Story: www.schooldays.ie
