Third World Education System in Ireland?

Listening to the radio this morning, some school principal stating Ireland has a third-world education system and comparing his school to Guantanamo! Well, this is of course nonsense. Ireland does not have a third-world education system. We have an education system designed to do one thing well, and it does it exquisitely well. What is it? Our education system is designed to educate all children of at least average intelligence, prepare them for exams at second level, facilitate their entry into third-level education and prepare them to join a work force in a multi-national corporation.

The system works efficiently, quietly and without fanfare (except on those occasions when some politicians travel the world telling anyone who wants to listen how wonderful it is). No, there is no third-world education system in Ireland nor is there a Guantanamo-like school in the country. Not for the average and above that is. But what if your child isn’t average or above? Well, in that case things can be a little different.

You see, if your child has a significant special education need this first-world education system is likely to fail him or her completely. Fighting for the scraps on the table you will spend countless months trying to get an assessment. You will then be told that your child has X condition. After that you will be left to comfort yourself and seek information about the condition wherever you can find it. If you are lucky enough to receive special education services you may, or may not, get an IEP. If you get an IEP it will be a miracle if you were permitted to have any meaningful input into it. In many cases you will not receive and IEP or will receive one that is a sham and doesn’t meet the guidelines set down by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). After all, they are only guidelines. Your IEP will almost never be reviewed against objective criteria of successful attainment.

You child will likely be taught by a kindly special education teacher with a heart of gold and no training in special education.

If all this isn’t enough, if you child has ADHD or an emotional behavioural disorder (EBD), it is most likely you and the child will be in some way blamed for the condition they have and be the subject of negative chat in the staff room.

No, we don’t have a third-world education system, except for some!

Let me say in conclusion that I am aware of some shining examples of excellence in special education, some special schools are beacons of hope for children and families, some special education teachers are life-savers. Some classroom teachers deserve a Nobel Prize. But despite this the system as a whole is failing many children.