The current shortage of teachers across the islands reveals how the government’s “serious” lack of forward planning has become ‘endemic’, the Nationalist Party said Monday.
Addressing a press conference, PN education spokesperson Clyde Puli said that, despite having a whole year of experience of being faced with teacher shortages − due to the social distancing measures brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic that resulted in some classes having to be split up – the Ministry for Education has not only tried to “sweep the problem under the carpet”, but has also not dealt with the issue and has now adopted an “insensitive and demoralising” approach of intimidation by filing for a prohibitory injunction against the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT).
The MUT said Monday that, in a last-minute panicked attempt, the Education Ministry transferred a number of educators to different schools so that they could take up positions as primary school teachers.
The education ministry denied there is a shortage, but said there was an increase in the number of state school applicants.
Commenting on this, Puli noted how not only was the Ministry untruthfully claiming that everything was in place for the upcoming scholastic year, but that the lack of dialogue amongst the invested parties has now shown true.
Moreover, the increased number of students enrolling in state schools could be a result of the increased number of foreign nationals having moved to Malta, which in turn displays how the government policies are not implemented across the board, such that of having encouraged foreign workers to move to Malta, Puli said, adding that investment in sectors like education was not happening in tandem.
The PN is “sincerely” appealing to the Ministry of Education to treat Malta’s educatory sector with dignity and respect and to ensure a continual dialogue with all the interested parties, Puli said.
Together with the other PN candidates who attended the press conference, Julie Zahra and Clifford Zahra Fenech, Puli stated that “you will find us behind you as usual. We believe that our strategy for all children to succeed must give utmost importance to our teachers and the education system as a whole”.
Thus, the PN pledges to “radically” increase teachers’ wages and to ensure that the advancement between one pay grade and the next will happen quicker. Secondly, it will ensure to give every student free access to internet and that every secondary school student has access to a tablet or a laptop. Thirdly, it wants to increase the amount of open spaces in some school as well as add solar panels to school roofs and add AC units. Lastly, it is pledging that vulnerable students would receive more attention and all the help they require.