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Minister urged to withdraw special needs proposals

Thursday, 4 February 2010

SDLP MLA Dominic Bradley receives a petition at Stormont from disability rights campaigner Joanne Brush and her nephew Lewis Chivers, calling on the Education Minister to reconsider her proposals on special educational needs. SG0502

EDUCATION minister Caitriona Ruane has been urged to withdraw her proposals on special educational needs.
The SDLP's education spokesman Dominic Bradley, who described the proposals as "flawed", received a petition last week from a group of disability rights groups calling on the Minister to reconsider her proposals.
“Sinn Féin and their Education Minister have it got it badly wrong on special educational needs," said the local MLA. "There is not a disability group in the country which is in support of these proposals, in fact, the opposite is the case, they all are vehemently opposed to them.
“Teachers' unions, parents of children with special needs, advocacy groups for the disabled, the General Teachers Council, and the political parties are all opposed to these proposals. Parents fear that the changes will erode the statutory rights to additional expertise, back-up and support which children with statements of special educational needs have under the current system.
“Other issues centre around the proposed funding arrangements of special needs education which will mean that money will not be ring-fenced for this important aspect of education and may be diverted to other areas of education.
“Many teachers and school principals believe that the proposals will place a disproportionate burden of responsibility on them which they will not be adequately trained or equipped to carry. The view in many quarters is that rather than speed up early diagnosis and efficient intervention, the proposals will simply recreate and exacerbate the flaws of the existing system.
“Sinn Féin and Caitriona Ruane must listen to what parents, teachers, children, disability representative groups, and public representatives are saying and withdraw these proposals before the damage is done.
“The present system is not without its flaws, but these should be dealt with in such a way as to ensure that children's rights and funding for special needs are not adversely affected - and in a way which ensures children get the expert diagnosis and intervention which is so important to their future development as early as possible in their lives.
“Caitriona Ruane said that special educational needs would be the major theme of her Ministry - the best thing she could do for special educational needs would be to withdraw these proposals and take them back to the drawing board before it is too late.
“The Minister should listen to what parents, teachers, young people, and the disability rights advocates are saying, or take her advice from them rather than the bureaucrats in her department who are away from the chalk face."

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