Every child in Ireland has the right to a proper education. Not as a privilege. Not as a charitable act. As a right — enshrined in our Constitution, in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The State's job is to uphold that right, not to make families fight for it.
And yet, that is exactly what we ask families to do, over and over again. A quarter of a century after Kathryn Sinnott took the State to the High Court — and won — parents are still going public, still taking legal action, still fighting for their children's most basic entitlements. That is a failure of political will, not a lack of solutions.
The SNA crisis, and the recent announcements of shortages in special classes and placements, bring this into sharp relief. The suggestion that resources be reallocated toward children with the "highest care need" is not a neutral administrative decision — it creates a competition between children over who is most deserving of support. That is no way to run an education system.
Here is what I am calling for:
Enact the long-overdue reforms to the EPSEN Act 2004. The legislation is outdated, many of its provisions were never commenced, and it does not reflect Ireland's obligations under the UNCRPD. Reform is not a radical ask — it has already been recommended. It simply needs political will to implement.
Establish a fair appeals mechanism. Families must have a transparent, accessible, and properly resourced way to challenge resourcing decisions — without going to court, without going to the media, and without being treated as adversaries by the State.
Define inclusive education in law. Every child's right to meaningful participation in education should be clearly defined in legislation, in line with the UNCRPD — not left to administrative discretion.
Centre the child, not the system. Special Needs Assistants are not a budget line. They are the people who help children feel safe, supported and able to learn. Consistency of people, of routines, of relationships — this is what children with additional needs depend on, and what the evidence shows makes the difference.
Properly forecast incoming needs. Use data from the early childhood AIM scheme, to plan for the real need coming through the system.
Children with special educational needs are not a problem to be managed. They are children, with rights, with potential, and with futures that depend on the decisions we make now. I will not accept a system that makes their families beg.