Mary Moran (Labour)

Thank you, Acting Chairman. I welcome the Minister, Deputy Quinn, back to the House. I acknowledge and commend the advisory group on its dedication and hard work during the past year.

During recent decades Irish society has been undergoing major political, social, economic, cultural, demographic and educational change. Among the key changes, which have had particular relevance are the greater diversity of religious belief systems and the more multicultural composition of the population. We must also acknowledge, as the Minister pointed out, the increase in up to 1,700 people who declared themselves in the 2011 census as having no religion. There are also parents with denominational beliefs, as has been pointed out, who prefer a multidenominational education for their children. These are the issues that challenge us as we try to adapt to a changing Ireland and to provide parental choice in primary education. I commend the Minister on continually acknowledging parental choice as being our main concern, which it should be, in our primary education.

Primary schools are not a place apart, isolated from the communities they serve. The significant societal changes that have occurred in Irish society, particularly during the past decade, have impacted directly on the professional lives of teachers in most primary schools. Teachers in many denominational schools in recent years have experienced at first hand the demands of a more diverse society and a school system that better accommodates that diversity. I speak from a background of being a teacher who welcomed Muslim children to the school where I taught in recent years and where, for the first time, I became aware of Ramadan and the culture surrounding it and, likewise, they became familiar with the Catholic ethos of school. I was delighted to see this from the perspective of a parent and a teacher.

At local level, schools and teachers have endeavoured to ensure, in so far as possible within the system's imposed limitations, that primary schools are open, welcoming and accommodating to all children regardless of their backgrounds, religion or culture. As a former teacher with many years experience, I am also keen to highlight the area of teacher education in light of future developments. We must recognise that most teachers have received their teacher education in a denominational context that has prepared them to work in a denominational school setting. There is currently no non-denominational teacher education and limited provision to prepare teachers to work in a multidenominational or interdenominational context . Colleges of education therefore need to be reconfigured to enable teachers to work in a variety of school settings-----