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The anger amongst the entire education community is palpable at the minute. Everyone wants the best for students, particularly those most vulnerable to regression but to achieve that in the mist of a surging pandemic will require respectful engagement from those in authority. 1/?
The manner in which the announcement was made last Thursday to reopen schools for students with SEN was clearly premature but the manner in which it was done was equally strange and I want to reflect on that here. 2/
You might recall that last Thursday, the Minister for Education was scheduled to, and did address the Dáil just after 1pm.
You’d expect such an announcement to happen here were the Junior Minister with Responsibility for Special Ed would also make a statement afterwards. 3/?
You’d expect such an announcement to happen here were the Junior Minister with Responsibility for Special Ed would also make a statement afterwards. 3/?
You’d be wrong. The announcement that schools would reopen for students with SEN happened just before 1pm in the Dàil under “Promised Legislation” session where Tánaiste Leo Varadkar was answering questions from TD’s on a wide variety of issues. 4/?
When this much awaited announcement came, it was an all @FineGael affair which took everyone by surprise..
Normally, Promised Legislation is strictly one minute to ask one question, which the Taoiseach or Tánaiste does their best to answer equally in under a minute. 5/?
Normally, Promised Legislation is strictly one minute to ask one question, which the Taoiseach or Tánaiste does their best to answer equally in under a minute. 5/?
Last Thursday, just before 1pm and the lunchtime bulletins, Fine Gael’s Kieran O’Donnell took the unusual step of asking two rather hefty, but important questions:
One of which sought an update from his Party leader on developments relating to the reopening of schools.. 6/?
One of which sought an update from his Party leader on developments relating to the reopening of schools.. 6/?
Though absolutely impossible to answer two questions in under 1 minister, as are the strictly enforced rules of this session, The Tánaiste and leader of @FineGael announced his party colleague & Junior Minister was present & would respond to the @FineGael TD. 7/?
In my own 10 months in the Dáil, this was the first time I’d seen a question under this session redirected to a Minister, but the Junior Minister from @FineGael got to announce the “very good news” just before the lunchtime news reports and before the senior minister too. 8/?
It wasn’t very long after this, when it was reported in the press and the tweets started going out that mine & other deputies started to receive soundings that this wasn’t exactly the case. Workers weren’t fully consulted, no plans had actually been finalised & confusion emerged.
It’s not the biggest failure of this government or department, but the manner in which that decision was made last week is a small snapshot of the ways in which arrogance & party self-interest has poisoned the well of good will & stakeholder relations in education. #edchatie
