Sir, - As a remedial teacher shared between two large Dublin primary schools, I recently assessed two young children who appeared not to be coping very well with school and had failed to acquire the skills needed to stay reasonably on a par with their peers. Having used a wide variety of standardised tests to assess pre-reading, reading and language skills, I concluded that they really needed a deeper psychological assessment which I am neither authorised nor qualified to give.
Six phone-calls later, which included ringing Athlone, Cork, Marlborough Street, Orwell Road, the Eastern Health Board, plus countless "hanging on" waiting for extensions I discovered that:
1. Because my schools do not have "disadvantaged" status, we do not qualify for access to an educational psychologist.
2. There is only one unfortunate psychologist available through the EHB, who has to deal with two big areas, 4 and 5, which include my schools, and he/she is out sick at the moment. One wonders why?
3. When he/she returns to work - a good proportion of them considered top priority - will face a year-and-a-half waiting list.
"Could our two children be put on this waiting list?" I asked in all innocence. "Sorry, we are not taking any names at the moment," came the reply.
What an educational hour-and-a-half I had, and what an eyeopener! I had the strange notion that all citizens of this State were to be cherished equally (or some such phrase in the Constitution).
For me and many frustrated teachers like me, it's another case of the appalling neglect of the most vulnerable in our society. It is a huge sick joke - except that nobody is laughing. - Is mise,
Mary McDonnell, Kilnamanagh Estate, Tallaght, Dublin 24.