Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I am only sorry I was unavoidably detained and did not hear all the presentations but I enjoyed listening to the members and Mr. Proctor, whom I believe gave a very powerful speech. He is a credit to integrated education and I wish him great success with his exam results and into the future.

As a former teacher I find this subject fascinating. I will follow on from Senator D'Arcy's point about why he could not understand why people would have to be able to play a musical instrument. As a former music teacher, I would strongly advocate that every child in school from four to 18 years of age should play a musical instrument. For many years I saw students starting school who did not play an instrument and I was particularly delighted when I saw them leaving school, not only playing an instrument but continuing to become musicians and to study for degrees. Some of them even became lecturers in music at university. Music is the universal language. A person with a musical instrument under his or her arm is always welcome in every house in this country.

I am a strong advocate for music. Until recently, part of the criteria for entrance to primary school training was that one had to play a musical instrument. This change may have had a knock-on effect when I see students who have had no or very little music in primary school.

To be able to play an instrument is a great string to one's bow.

Can the witnesses comment on the criteria for entry? In the notes it states that, to date, no Catholic school has transformed to become an integrated school. Can they elaborate on why that is? I understand one school applied for the process and that it is going through a judicial review. How can we as a committee help implement the commitments in the Good Friday Agreement? It is the way forward when one sees the calibre of student it produces and Mr. Proctor is certainly a good role model.