Caít Keane (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I wish to speak about the removal of regulation No. 3 on the status of Montessori teachers, which issued in 2009. The Teaching Council has been conducting a review of this matter, which Senator Healy Eames raised yesterday. Why is the regulation no longer considered acceptable? I have BA and MA qualifications but I am most proud of my qualification in Montessori education because it gave me the such useful skills in child-centred developmental education. The primary school sector followed the work of Dr. Maria Montessori by introducing child-centred education. I hope the regulation will not be removed. It was put in place to take account of Montessori teachers. I want to hear a good reason for excluding them from the register. Students take a four-year degree course to qualify as Montessori teachers. This qualification was not even available when the regulation was put in place. The council has acknowledged that no phase of teacher education would be sufficient to address all the needs of pupils but not all types of training are equal. One cannot say that a degree in one subject is more valuable than another. The child is paramount to education, and the child always comes first in Montessori education. I ask the Minister's views on the regulation, which I think is required.