The Minister for Education and Science, Ms Hanafin, has announced that six outstanding vacancies in the visiting teacher service for deaf and blind children are to be filled.
Last month The Irish Times revealed that hundreds of deaf and blind children had their access to specialised support severely restricted since the start of the school year. This was because the Department of Education and Science had not replaced trained visiting teachers who had retired.
But Ms Hanafin said she had decided that students with sensory impairments should not be left without support while a review of the relationship between the service and other support measures was taking place.
She had therefore given an instruction for the vacancies to be filled. "The new National Council for Special Education will consider how the visiting teacher service fits into this new framework. In the meantime, I have instructed that these vacant posts be filled as soon as possible with interim appointments of three years' duration."
The 41-strong service works with children in the home at pre-school stage, to develop language or visual ability, and continues to work with teachers in schools to facilitate inclusion. The Irish National Teachers' Organisation last night welcomed the announcement.
"The INTO advised members of the service not to engage in work which should have been done by a person appointed to one of the existing vacant posts, pending the outcome of negotiations with the Department," said INTO general secretary Mr John Carr.