Minister for Education Norma Foley announced funding for 1,165 special needs assistants and 980 special education teachers in the 2022 Budget.
Paul Crone, Director of National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) welcomed the announcement and stressed it is vital that these rolls are filled.
However, Mr Crone said: “Today’s education Budget was a missed opportunity by the Government to set about improving learning outcomes for students in the post-primary sector, most of whom have endured a disrupted two years of learning due to Covid.”
An additional €18 million was also granted to aid the expansion of the DEIS scheme, to aid young people from disadvantaged communities who are at risk of experiencing educational disadvantages. €50 million was allocated for technology advanced learning.
The NAPD Director also said: “The experience of the pandemic has demonstrated a clear need for investment in both ICT infrastructure and supporting school communities in the uptake and use of same.
“We welcome the positive announcement of the expansion of the DEIS scheme, which will help support the most vulnerable students in our society and we commend the Minister on her continued commitment to the scheme.”
He added: “We have called on the Minister to address the growing crisis that is the lack of substitute teachers available to schools, and call the Government to increase investment in this area to ensure schools are adequately resourced to provide cover for teachers who may take leave for any number of reasons including sick leave, an issue which has become more prevalent during the pandemic.
“Finally, this Budget does little to address the growing crisis in the recruitment and retention of principals in the post-primary sector. School leaders have been overburdened and overwhelmed by administrative duties, which have grown year-on-year, preventing them from focusing their energies on leading learning and education within the school community.”
