Minister for Education Mary Coughlan has told the Dáil that 353 fewer special needs assistants will be sanctioned following completion of a review of special education.
The review was carried out by the National Council on Special Education.
Minister Coughlan said 920 posts were cut as relevant students had left schools.
In addition, she said 733 posts had been cut because it was decided the children had diminished care needs.
Ms Coughlan said that 1,300 new special needs assistant posts had been sanctioned, which means that there will be 353 fewer posts.
Parents and children staged a protest outside the Dáil today at the cuts to SNA posts, which they said hit the most vulnerable.
Fine Gael has called on the Government to stop the current review of SNAs in schools.
In its Private Members Bill before the Dáil this evening, the party also said the Government had withdrawn educational supports from schools in the middle of a school year without adequate consultation.
Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD called on Minister Coughlan not to proceed with further cuts to special needs support and to reinstate support that has already been removed.
