EDITORIAL: Not enough school places for every child in Tipperary breaks the law
The Irish government must provide every child in Ireland with an education, but as we have seen with many autistic children searching for a school place they routinely break this law.
With news this week of parents taking to the streets to protest for a school place for their autistic children and two Tipperary mothers reaching out regarding having nowhere for their child to begin school in September, it has made me wonder if there are any reprimands for the government if they do not provide an education for a child in Ireland?
As many of our readers have guessed, all children do have the right to an education. This right is a part of international law and is in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A parent not sending a child to school for consecutive days will get reprimanded by the school and may even be prosecuted. If the Irish government cannot provide an education for a child with autism, or in this most recent case 100 children with autism living in Cork, nothing happens.
News of extra funding allocated to special schools and a new school being built in North Tipperary barely scrape the barrel of what needs to be done.
According to a study by Inclusion Ireland, 45% of children with support needs are being failed in accessing their right to education in Ireland.
The report goes on to explain that children face multiple barriers to access their right to school. They identified a lack of appropriate supports at school to be a factor as well as a reduced timetable, emotionally based school avoidance, other distressing experiences, or they are not attending school at all. This all hinders a child’s developmental growth, which is so important when it comes to autism.
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Without proper schooling and educational supports, children with autism will likely regress in their development. The government should provide an adequate education to every child living in Ireland. If they fail to do so, what are the repercussions for them? If a parent were to break the law by not sending a child to school, we know there are many.