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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 3 Apr 2003

Vol. 564 No. 3

Written Answers - Special Educational Needs.

Phil Hogan

Question:

164 Mr. Hogan asked the Minister for Education and Science if he will recognise a college (details supplied) in County Dublin in respect of the training of Montessori teachers who deal with children with special needs; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that this college is already recognised by the national council of awards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9405/03]

My Department grants restricted recognition to certain categories of teachers, who are not fully qualified to teach in mainstream national schools, to render them eligible to teach in certain special schools and in the categories of special classes in mainstream schools where Irish is not a curricular requirement. Such teachers are also eligible for posts as resource teachers for children with special needs in mainstream schools, but are not eligible for learning support posts in mainstream schools.

Teachers with the Montessori qualification which is awarded on completion of the three year full time course in the Association Montessori Internationale college, Mount St. Mary's, Milltown, Dublin 14, and teachers trained in St. Nicholas, Dún Laoghaire, Montessori who have successfully completed the full-time course of at least three years' duration which is recognised by the National Council for Educational Awards, may be granted such recognition. These conditions are set out in circular 25/00, recognition of teacher qualifications for the purpose of teaching in national schools.

In addition to theAssociation Montessori Internationale Montessori qualification, which has been recognised for teaching in special education settings since 1963, teachers with a national diploma or degree in humanities in Montessori education from St. Nicholas Montessori College are, since 1997, recognised in a restricted capacity to teach in national schools. While the St. Nicholas Montessori College became a designated institution of the NCEA in 1994, the Montessori courses delivered there underwent significant changes in order that accreditation might be awarded. It was as a result of this process of accreditation and the course changes made, that the qualification became acceptable to my Department for recognition purposes.
It is open to any institution to submit a course to the National Qualifications Authority-HETAC for validation. It is a matter for this authority to decide on the equivalence of the courses provided by the college in question with the course already validated.
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