Language that was used regarding a proposal to establish special education centres as an emergency response for vulnerable children was “not the right language” and has been “badly received” by parents and advocates in the sector, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has said.
Education authorities confirmed last week that there are 80 children waiting for a special class in Dublin, while it is estimated there are many more outside the capital in need of appropriate school places.
Minister of State for Special Education Josepha Madigan is expected to announce shortly that five special educational needs (SEN) centres will be created across north and south Dublin as an “interim” solution.
It is expected that there will be four special classes — or a total of 24 pupils — in each of the new centres, which are due to open in September 2022.
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It is understood that education and training boards will manage and operate the new centres, in partnership with the Department of Education and the National Council for Special Education. The centres will be aimed at children who have not yet secured a special class place in a mainstream school.
Ms Madigan said on Twitter on Wednesday night that the proposal was not “a medium- or long-term alternative” but a “supplementary measure” to ensure children awaiting a new special class placement in a mainstream school could access “a more sustained level of support in a setting with peers of their own age”.
“This is particularly important for some children with SEN who are relying on home tuition while awaiting a special class placement,” she said.
“This is simply an option to parents if they wish to avail of it.”
Speaking during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil on Thursday, Labour TD Duncan Smith said there hadn’t been any detailed information about what was planned and that Ms Madigan had “hastily” confirmed the proposal last night in a series of tweets following reports in The Irish Times.
“This is no way to make major public announcements specifically on areas so sensitive and so important,” he said.
The Dublin Fingal TD said the proposal was “totally at odds” with what had been announced last week and the new plans were “one of the most brainless, out of touch policy responses to a real crisis”.
In response, Mr Varadkar said language used on Wednesday “wasn’t the best language”.
“No parent wants to be told that their child has been offered a stopgap solution and I particularly don’t like the use of the term autism centre, because it sounds othering, it sounds like children are going to be bussed away to a special place, set away from other children from the rest of society and put in some sort of special centre,” he said.
“I don’t like that either and I think perhaps the language that was used last night was not the right language, and certainly has been badly received by parents and by advocates in the sector.
“I hear that and I get that and that’s why there is a meeting happening today to consult with people about solutions.”
Ms Madigan is currently meeting autism campaigners to discuss the proposal.
