Protest over SNA plans set to go ahead at Cork City Hall today

A protest at City Hall this afternoon at 5pm over cuts to special needs assistants is to go ahead despite recent Government backtracking on the controversial plans.

Education minister Hildegarde Naughton announced last week that she was pausing a review of SNAs following backlash from schools, parents, and unions, after the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) issued letters to several schools advising them that they could lose part of their SNA allocation.

Glasheen BNS principal Tim O’Neill said they were told that their mainstream allocation of SNAs would be reduced from 10.16 to 6.16, reductions which would “significantly affect support for pupils, particularly the most vulnerable”.

Ms Naughton and special education minister Michael Moynihan made an announcement on Monday evening that all schools reviewed by the NCSE and allocated additional resources will receive their SNA cohort in the upcoming school year, and no reductions will come into effect in the 2026/27 school year.

Labour councillor Peter Horgan told The Echo that there was still huge confusion: “We’ve decided to go ahead with the protest and the national demonstration will be going ahead too.

“Looking at the government announcement you could think job done, €19m, sorted – but when you look a bit further, there’s more questions than answers. Where has this €19m been before, where are the extra SNAs coming from?”