Ceisteanna ó na Comhaltaí Eile - Other Members’ Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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Barry Ward (FG), Dún Laoghaire

I thank the Tánaiste. One word he used in his answer is really important, and that is "understanding". The circular needs to represent an understanding of what teachers face and what school communities face in terms of the additional assistance they need to put in place.
I attended a meeting earlier this week with approximately 30 principals from my constituency. One of the comments at that meeting was that the Government does not trust teachers. I do not think that is the case. There is an issue of trust with the Department and with officials because the reality is that, through the scheme, when teachers go to the Department and say they need X, Y or Z in terms of special needs assistants, what they get back is a load of paperwork asking them to prove it, essentially. We need to move, through the circular and through the scheme, to a place where we are trusting teachers, who are the professionals on the ground, the people with the training and the people with knowledge of the particular school community. When they say they need something, we should accept that they need it and are not saying it to make their lives easier or because they have picked a figure out of the air. Let us trust teachers, let us deliver for them and let us make sure that the children they are teaching are given the best possible opportunity to achieve what they can achieve in terms of their schooling.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26