Twentyfive additional sna posts for mayo for september
IT has been announced that 25 additional SNA posts are being created in Mayo, which will bring the total number of posts in the county's schools to 271 this September.
Welcoming the decision to create over 600 additional Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts across the country from September, the Minister of State for Tourism and Sport, Westport's Michael Ring, said: “This reflects the government’s commitment to ensure that every child with an assessed need has access to an SNA.
“These extra posts mean that every child assessed as needing an SNA will have access to one, which comes as welcome news to parents across the country. When a child is assessed as having a particular care need it is vital that the support needed is delivered. This is essential to help each child reach his or her potential and to help them get the most out of their time in school.”
Ballina-based Deputy Michelle Mulherin said the government has also decided to carry out a review of the SNA scheme to ensure it is meeting its objectives and that best use is being made of the significant resources invested.
She explained: “Among the issues to be examined will be the reasons behind the significant increase in demand evident this year and how the timing of applications and allocations can be better aligned with the school year.”
Meanwhile, Claremorris-based Deputy John O'Mahony said it has been a consistent policy of Fine Gael in government to increase the number of SNAs in our schools.
“From September there will be 11,820 whole-time SNA posts available in our primary and post-primary schools. This is an 11.7% increase since this government came to office.”
This announcement from government comes on the heels of a statement from Castlebar-based Fianna Fáil general election candidate Councillor Lisa Chambers, who said earlier this week that SNAs at some schools in Mayo were still waiting to find out if they will have a job to go back to in September.
“They (SNAs) are at the beginning their summer holidays now and many are completely in the dark about their jobs come September,” stated Councillor Chambers. “It is a very distressing situation for them and they are now left with no certainty whatsoever about their future.”