Cabinet plans to cut spending on special education are to be delayed by a year and introduced more gradually, the cabinet said on Thursday evening.

Ministers want to cut spending on helping special-needs children attend ordinary schools and other measures by €300m a year.
Parents and teachers said the cuts would lead to thousands of job losses.
MPs welcomed the decision to phase in the changes, saying it was a victory for constructive debate. The measures were also opposed by some MPs from the ruling CDA and the party voted against the cuts at its recent congress.
As reported earlier, the cabinet has also agreed to delay the introduction by one year of a €3,000 fine for students who take too long to finish their degrees. The delay is to give students the chance to catch up.
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