I see the NCSE, that’s the National Council for Special Education for the uninitiated, is calling for the classes for children with special needs. Isn’t that wonderful? Bat O’Keefe, (what a name!) closes most of the classes, stating as his reason the departments ethos on inclusion (now there’s another joke), now they want them opened again. The NCSE says that these classes  are necessary for some children with special needs.

Now that’s interesting. About 35% of teachers teaching children with special needs have appropriate training as special educators. This means that most children recieving special educaiton services are receivcing them in name only. Let’s be honest, no training, no special education teacher. Maybe you are a teacher (and that’s a big maybe) but you are no special education teacher.

In my view there isn’t any point of opening classes where the teachers have no training in special education. Oh, I know that every qualified teacher in the country is considered to be a qualified special education teacher. That’s why Mary Hanafin was able to proclaim she appointed 600 special education teachers when she was the Minister. 600 new teachers, most of them with no special education training and all considered special education teachers.

Well it sure accounts for what’s going on in mainstream schools in the provision of education for children with special needs.