THE IRISH NATIONAL Teachers’ Organisation has organised a protest at Leinster House next week to show members’ opposition to cuts to special needs assistants in primary school.

The INTO will be protesting against the 25 per cent cut to special needs teaching in primary schools which was announced this week.

The union called for support for the protest from school communities in the greater Dublin area affected by the cut, and added that it hopes to be joined by parent groups, school management bodies and other unions.

Sheila Nunan, general secretary of the INTO said primary schools would not be able to meet children’s special needs due the cuts: “No amount of smokescreen and spin can hide the extent of this cutback. A 25 per cent cutback in resource hours will have long-term effects.”

The protest will take place at Leinster House, Kildare Street, on Wednesday 26 June 2013 at 6pm.

Nunan said without enough teachers and SNAs schools could not support the integration of special needs children.

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