This article is from page 4 of the 2008-04-01 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
THE vice-president elect of the Teachers Union of Ireland has hit out at schools that administer what her union has described as “academic hoy-Nus eles (ema
Enniswoman Bernie Ruane said that some schools are refusing to take in students who have special needs, often using a full roll as an excuse.
Every child should have a right to go to their local second level school but the reality is the schools are writ- ing an open administrative policy
but they are not implementing it,” said the St Patrick’s Comprehensive School, Shannon assisting principal.
The teacher with more than 25 years experience attended the TUI national conference as the newly elected vice president who is to take up her new role in July 1.
The active member of the TUI 1s very vocal on numerous issues af- fecting teachers and students not least of all the issue of “academic apartheid”.
At its conference last week TUI delegates said that the Department of
Education and Science continues to facilitate certain schools in operat- ing a system of ‘academic apartheid’ in their admission policies thereby enhancing the privilege of such schools.
According to TUI figures 10 per cent of second level schools do not take any students with special needs.
Certain schools continue to dis- criminate against students with spe- cial educational needs by not allow- ing them the right to be educated with their siblings, friends and neighbours the union of 14,500 members main-
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‘The corollary of this is that other schools with open admissions polices continue to act as magnets for pupils with special education needs, despite a chronic lack of resources.
“With much fanfare, the minister signalled her intention to carry out an audit of the number of students with special needs in schools two years ago but this information has yet to be presented despite several requests from TUI,” said the unions Assistant General Secretary John MacGabhann.