'A complex issue': the concerns around special education teaching
04 April 2025
Minister for Education Helen McEntee recently reiterated the Government's commitment to increasing special classes and special schools. At the same time, she noted a lack of confidence among teachers to take on special class teaching roles.
This is a common issue across the globe. Once a student is identified with an additional learning need, it can perpetuate the notion that they need something 'different' to what is ordinarily available in the mainstream classroom. Special classes and special schools then become viewed as necessitating 'different' forms of teaching and learning from mainstream settings, resulting in teachers feeling ill-equipped to work in these roles.
Published by RTÉ.ie, 4th April 2025