Dr Galea released the text following statements made to the press following MUT activities, including a meeting with Labour leader Alfred Sant over the past days.

In his letter, Dr Galea referred to a meeting he had with an MUT delegation on Wednesday 13 October. The letter contains the minister's perception of the situation as he sees it in an attempt to facilitate the ongoing dialogue and to attempt to scotch possible misunderstandings, as the minister put it, at the outset.

Dr Galea said that both he and the MUT delegation all want state education to make a visible quality leap forward. The good results achieved so far may have sufficed in the world of the last century. But they will not be anywhere near good enough in the world of this century.

The Maltese people are creative and intelligent, they can be amongst the best in this world, provided they are ensured with a better quality lifelong and life-wide education for all.

For this to happen, Dr Galea said, a regeneration of the whole education system from bottom up, state, church and private, is now urgently required.

The proposed regeneration is a process, as he sees it, and not an event. There will be ongoing consultations with all stakeholders at every stage to ensure as wide a consensus as possible so that the reform will possibly be owned by all concerned.

The main aim of the regeneration of the state education system are to:

· Ensure quality education and stimulate further educational growth;

· Reduce bureaucracy and enhance the autonomy of schools;'

· Make and take decisions at the lowest possible level where action takes place and where the impact is felt;

· Benefit from teamwork, networking, pooling and sharing of ideas, good practice, services, spaces and facilities at the schools level where students benefit most.

· Improve the transition of students from one education level to another, from one area to another;

· Lessen the tension of the educational experience but not the quality and the standards.

Dr Galea said these major aims coincide with the stated ideals and policies of MUT that rightly, he says, prefers well-thought and planned concrete reforms rather than cosmetic changes.

The regeneration is intended to build on the accomplishments so far of our education system, the result of ongoing commitments by all stakeholders. It is in fact the logical extension of the reforms carried out in the Education Division during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Already then, these reforms aimed at establishing regions of state schools with a certain amount of autonomy with the intention of progressing further.

It must be stressed at the outset, the minister said, that the idea of any type of privatisation of the state education system never crossed his mind and nothing that he is thinking and saying can in any way be interpreted in that sense. The state will continue to ensure that education is at the top of the national agenda and it will continue to make the required provision for the funding and operation of the state education system. However, he strongly believes changes are needed to enable both state and private education to perform better.

The conditions of work and the related remuneration and benefits of all teaching grades as enshrined in the existing collective agreements will continue to be fully respected. In no way will the reform diminish the conditions of work of teaching grades. If any significant change in conditions of work will be desirable, the relevant issues will be negotiated with the MUT according to established practice.

Dr Galea said he strongly believes that the effective implementation of these ideas will benefit the teachers as much as the students in that the reforms will go a long way in improving the whole learning environment with concomitant job satisfaction. In normal circumstances the teaching grades are themselves the promoters and facilitators of such a reform.

It is being proposed, the minister said, that the Education Division will eventually be restructured in two distinct entities, an Education Authority as regulator and guarantor of quality and standards, and a Board of Education as an operator of the central services and facilitator of the needs in state schools.

This change in the Education Division will solve the current conflict of rules where the same entity is both the regulator of state, church and independent educational institutions, as well as the operator of state schools. In no way is this change intended to duplicate work. Existing functions and human resources will be rationalised in such a way as to ensure more effective and transparent focusing on the respective areas of responsibility. As it is, the minister added, we are failing as effective regulators whilst at the same time the service provision and operation in state schools leaves much to be desired.

It is also being proposed that government phases in (starting with a number of pilot projects to achieve a learning curve) a process of evolution of operation of state schools onto regional school clusters endowed with a legal status that will empower them to operate in an autonomous manner within an agreed framework and under the supervision and accountability of the central authorities. Decentralisation is being proposed in the areas and at the level that improves quality education, increases operational effectiveness and efficiency without burdening the schools.

The ministry is determined to ensure that any reform establishing the required value-adding structures takes in consideration and keeps under strict control recurrent expenditure. Government intends to continue to invest in schools to improve the quality of the human resources, the educational programmes and the learning environment. However, it is fair to say that the general government financial picture will always be borne in mind and government has made it clear that it wants to see more value for public money spent.

A board will direct each cluster of schools in the regeneration process under the guidance of central authorities. It will obviously and necessarily be working closely, through a coordinator, with the heads of schools, the school councils and with the parents and the students. The board will be expected to stimulate, support, and give direction to the cluster in a collegial approach and atmosphere.

The Cluster Board will include the professionals who can best contribute towards the achievement of the goals of the regeneration of the education system. Hence, current Education Division officials will be key players in the regeneration according to their particular position, role, experiences, expertise and responsibilities.

The heads of school will have a new forum in their support - a college of heads chaired by a coordinator (a change manager). They will benefit from this collegial process because they will not only continue to be the heads of their school, with the concomitant decentralised duties, but they will be encouraged to develop further the schools particular ethos and assure quality education according to the particular needs of the students.

The coordinator will not be working independently of the heads of school and s/he is bound to chair the college of heads of the cluster, to listen to them, and to work with them as a facilitator of a team of experts committed to the same educational and operational aims. The best available individuals with the right educational qualifications, qualities and experiences will be invited to act as coordinators. Malta's human resources are necessarily limited in number and we need the involvement and commitment of all experienced educationalists.

Performance indicators have been established and are already available in various educational areas, both as regards school administration and curriculum delivery.

These central performance indicators not only cannot have a negative impact on school autonomy and ethos, but they are meant to guarantee quality education.

The recent agreement between the government and MUT already refers to a school evaluation process. The Education Division, as reformed, will be in a better position to support the internal school quality assurance programmes and then to verify and audit them professionally. Dr Galea said he has always maintained that such quality audit is necessary not to create any schools league tables but to know and strengthen the process, and to identify and correct the ineffective and bad practices with the necessary support.

The ministry is not in favour of exclusion of any kind - its track record has always manifestly indicated a process of inclusion in all its aspects. However, it was thought appropriate, at this early stage of the schools clustering, to group like with like during the pilot stage of the project. The ministry agrees with the MUT's position regarding the reintegration of the boys' and girls' centres - complete reintegration will actually be part of the regeneration process.

Service providers, such as the Foundation for Educational Services, and the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools, will offer the services that complement and supplement existing services in order to provide a truly holistic approach to education. The Foundation for Educational Services primarily is there to be of support to schools in a number of educational areas and it will be asked to provide those services which cannot be provided by the school itself or which could enrich the provision available in school. Heads of school will continue to be able to ask for the services of the FES and the FES will respond according to available resources.

Dr Galea added that as he had informed the MUT at the meeting, he now intends to present these ideas to Cabinet and then to publish a document with the outline of the proposed reforms for public discussions and for in depth dialogue with all stakeholders foremost amongst whom the MUT. Following this dialogue process, government should be in a position to produce a new draft education law for further discussion and eventual presentation to Parliament.

In conclusion, the minister said he is more than willing to make any clarification that MUT may feel necessary. The contribution of the MUT in the regeneration of the state education system is essential and will be more than welcome.