If the PN is elected in government, the salaries and conditions of teachers and educators will be significantly improved, PN leader Bernard Grech said.
Addressing an activity on Saturday, Grech said that the Labour government “sees teachers like child-minders, seeing them only as a means to allow parents to go out to work. But we see them as educators who are forming the hearts and minds of our children.”
More work needs to be done for educators to be held in higher esteem, he remarked.
Grech noted that that the PN is going to be “very clear” on the educational sector.
The Opposition leader said that he wants to see more respect towards teachers and their profession. The educator is a pillar that the country needs to continue building the children’s education system on, Grech noted, as motivated educator is not only a happier worker but also a better educator for our children.
Grech said that the PN wants to restructure the pay scales of teachers and educators.
One of the PN’s proposals is for teachers to kick off their career with a grade higher from the onset, the Opposition leader said. More details regarding these proposals will be announced in due course, but one of the promises includes that progress in terms of their career as teachers happens more swiftly.
Grech also said that those who are already working as teacher will automatically move up a grade higher, and so they would complete their careers in a higher grade.
This would lead teachers to be motivated to stay in the field of education, he said. “We need to incentivise all levels of the profession to stay on, and also to constantly improve their own skills. We will find ways of ensuring that teachers who invest in their own education and up-skilling will also be better rewarded.”
In terms of infrastructure, Grech remarked that a PN Government would incentivise more energy-efficient and environmentally aware buildings.
He said that schools must become more energy efficient, rooftops should be used for solar panels, and classrooms should be air-conditioned, allowing schools to also be utilised comfortably during summer for various community needs, including summer schools.
Apart from this, Grech said that digital technology will also be increased when it comes to the education sector. One of the ways to do this is to provide this sector with internet access to everyone as was done during Covid, while also providing tablets to more students, he remarked.