Special education cuts frustrating - minister [RTE]
- Published: 09 March 2009
Source: RTÉ
Minister of State and Green Party TD Trevor Sargent has said that having to make cuts to special education provisions turns his stomach.
Mr Sargent was speaking in north Co Dublin this morning. He visited a school there that is set to lose its special needs class in September following cutbacks announced by Minister for Education Batt O'Keeffe last month.
Minister O'Keeffe announced in February that 534 children in 128 classes in 119 schools would lose the provision for their special needs teachers because they did not meet the requirement of nine pupils with mild general learning disabilities needed in order to keep the teacher.
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Today Mr Sargent said he was not just a member of Government but also a former primary school principal and so it 'literally does turn' his stomach to be in such a financial situation that cuts have to be made to special education provisions.
He said it is very frustrating to be in a situation where the Government is not able to do what it would like to.
