Almost 18 per cent of children have special educational needs, much higher than estimated, according to an expert study.
The report from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) says 190,303 children in Ireland have special educational needs, equivalent to almost one child in five.
INTO general secretary John Carr said last night that the report had major implications. It could, he said, require the Government to recruit thousands more teachers and provide much better support for special needs pupils.
The NCSE report, circulated to education groups, examines the level of resources which will be required to implement the Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004.
The implication of its main findings on numbers with special needs "is substantial as it suggests a much higher estimate of need than has been considered heretofore", the report states.
Remarkably, the NCSE points out there has been no national study on the prevalence of disability or of special educational needs among children in Ireland. It says its figure of 190,303, which it arrived at by collating existing research into areas such as physical, intellectual and learning disabilities, is as reliable a guide as it is possible to obtain at this point.
The new legislation on special needs gives all children the right to an appropriate education in an inclusive setting. Mr Carr said that "this will only be possible if the Government is prepared to commit the resources necessary to implement its own legislation".
The Department of Education said estimating the number of children with special educational needs "is fraught with difficulty and is potentially open to misinterpretation", as the report accepts, and that additional resources was a complex issue.
"There are over 15,000 adults in our schools working solely with children with special needs - compared to just a fraction of this a few years back. This includes more than 8,000 special needs assistants, whereas there were only 300 in 1998. Further improvements in services are on the way, with the roll-out of the 2004 Act. Over €820 million is being provided for special education in 2007, €180 million, or nearly 30 per cent, more than what was provided in 2006."
The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) has warned Minister for Education Mary Hanafin that her department could face legal challenges over its alleged lack of a coherent policy on educating children with special needs, which could put it in breach of the Education Act and the 2004 special needs legislation.
John MacGabhann, the TUI's assistant general secretary, also accused 10 per cent of schools of "academic apartheid" in their admission policies.
