A 30 per cent increase in day-to- day funding for all special needs schools has been announced by Minister for Education Mary Hanafin. The increase in capitation will provide more money for basic costs like heating, lighting and insurance.
Ms Hanafin said many special needs schools which cater for children younger than 12 will benefit from even higher increases. This is because the lower rate of capitation for children under 12 is being removed.
In the case of special needs classes in mainstream schools, an increase of 30 per cent is also to be given to all classes, other than those catering for mild general learning disability and specific learning disabilities. These classes will get the same increase as pupils in mainstream classes, whose capitation has been increased by €18. The total cost of the new measure is €1.5 million. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) welcomed the additional funding, but criticised the decision not to apply the increases to special classes for learning difficulties in mainstream schools.
"Special needs children require additional support, whether they go to school in a mainstream school or a special school," said John Carr, general secretary, INTO. "Their education should be funded equally."
He said the decision to remove the age differential in most categories of special needs and to equalise funding for all children was a positive development. However, the decision to exclude children with learning difficulties was discriminatory, he said.
"The Minister should revisit this decision and fund all children fairly," he said. "Maintaining the under-funding of young children is unfair and unacceptable."
