Minister of State with responsibility for Special Education and Inclusion Josepha Madigan has said that she will do everything she can to ensure that all children with additional needs have a school place.
Her comments come as the Government announced that a record 2,118 special classes will be in operation this school year. This is an increase of 269 classes from the previous school year and ensures that around 12,700 special class places will be available this year.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, Ms Madigan said that most schools collaborate and will to open a special class when they are needed.
However, Ms Madigan added that the Constitution does not state that a student has a right to education specifically in their locality.
"In the Constitution, education is a right, so we all know that," she said.
"But one of the things that it doesn't stipulate in the Constitution is you have to be educated within your own locality, but obviously, we try to do that, not just for children with additional needs but children without additional needs."
'Overdue'
Today's announcement was welcomed by CEO of AsIam Adam Harris.
Also Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, the spokesperson for the national autism charity said it is important to say this is a really welcoming announcement from Ms Madigan.
"It's wonderful to see these increased classes and places across the system, particularly in areas where, traditionally, there may have been less places in certain parts of Dublin and Cork, so I think that's very, very welcome."
However, he insisted that the move is "very overdue".
"I think it is important that we reflect on how we got here and really only see this as a first step, because I think it is very overdue," he said.
"You know most listeners will take a school place for granted. It's a rite of passage that most children can just presume will take place.
"Our families really can't make that presumption. Obviously over the last 20 years we've seen children move from segregated settings, such as special schools, largely into the mainstream system and special classes have been a really important part of this."
Mr Harris added that there are "huge number of children in our education system who are essentially invisible".
"That means that there are children who, yes, have school places today, but who are attending a mainstream class, when in actual fact, their recommendation and their diagnosis, says they should be in a special class, or indeed sometimes a special school."
