Dr. Maria Montessori:

World-renowned child educationist

Almost all of you would have attended pre-school, also known as montessori, when you were younger. Have you ever wondered why it is called a montessori? It has taken the name of Dr. Maria Montessori, who was a pioneer in child education and who was responsible for initiating this mode of education for young children.

As the 55th anniversary of her death fell on May 6, 2007, it's opportune to remember this person who did so much towards the well-being of children all over the world.

Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 in Anchona District, Kiyara Valley in Italy. Her father was Alexander Montessori and her mother, Genald Stogani. She displayed signs of being a bright student from a very early age, so her parents decided to send her off to the Italian capital, Rome for her higher education. She was 12 years old at the time.

Montessori displayed a special proficiency(skill) for mathematics and biology, and although she was initially entertaining hopes of becoming an engineer, later on she developed a liking for medical studies and became attached to this subject.

There were no females studying medicine in university at the time. Although the law, state policies and a large number of protests were against her decision to study medicine, she continued with her struggle and became the first woman to enter the university to study medicine, in 1894.

In 1896, she passed out of the university, becoming the first woman in Italy to gain a degree in medicine. She also succeded in becoming the first woman in Italy to win a doctorate from the medical faculty.

Montessori's interest in child education was kindled around 1898. She continued to follow on this path which interested her, and studied the educational problems suffered by disabled and mentally retarded children between the period of 1899 and 1901.

The years from 1900 to 1907 saw her occupied with various projects, one of them being disseminating (spreading)her knowledge to others as a lecturer at the University of Rome.

The year 1907 proved to be a special year for Montessori as it was in this year that she founded a home for children below the age of six.

The first of her many books, titled 'Montessori System' was published two years later, in 1909. The leading educationist was dealt a heavy blow in 1912 when her beloved mother passed away.

Montessori was a speaker of repute, delivering many inspiring lectures in her own country as well as overseas.

The first series of many international lectures was delivered by her in the United States in 1913. Another of her works under the title 'The Higher Montessori System' was published in 1916.

The year 1919 was another landmark year for Montessori as it was in this year that she paid a visit to London and started an International Training Course.

This proved to be a very important step in popularising her education system as this course led to her work becoming recognised in India and other Commonwealth countries and South America. She visited India despite the First World War which was raging then, to popularise the Montessori system there, at the invitation of Indian art expert, Rukmani Devi. She didn't stop at that however. She became a school inspector in Italy in 1922.

Several years later, in 1929, the International Montessori System was founded in the city of Pulsenor.

Montessori received many local and foreign accolades (praise)in her lifetime as well as afterwards.

One of the first such recognitions was the conferring(granting) of an Honorary Membership of the Educational Institution of Scotland. It was bestowed on her at a meeting held in Edinburgh in 1946. By this time, she had already written over six books; on the child, on education and on the value of education.

She was personally involved in the spreading of the Montessori System in Sri Lanka too. She visited the island in 1944 on the invitation of the Colombo Teachers' Association and delivered a series of lectures at Good Shepherd Convent, Kotahena on the education system that she had introduced. As a result, Montessori children's homes sprang up in all parts of the country.

Dr. Montessori returned to Sri Lanka in 1947 and found herself visiting many children's homes and presenting certificates to adults trained under her education system. Signing of international agreements was another feature of this visit.

The qualified doctor and leading educationist died in the city of Nordic in the Netherlands on May 6, 1952.

Jayanka Jayawardana,
Montessori Training Centre,
St. Bridget's Convent,
Colombo 7.