Imagine a business in which the person managing it is totally clueless about what the business is even all about.

Imagine workers in a constant fight to get a full day's work done. Pile onto that a lack of motivation, constant changes which lead to poor results and a lack of personnel, as few want to do that job. Would one consider that business a successful one? Obviously, it would not be.

That is, however, how the Education Department has been run for the past two decades. No one bats an eyelid, and when they do - usually the teachers’ unions - they are usually met by a barrage of insults towards educators, who are deemed lazy or incompetent for their grievances, having chosen the job for the holidays.

A new and clueless minister has been handed the education portfolio, to match a clueless permanent secretary. Now everyone has to make do with their cluelessness. We seem to have zero choice when it comes to people who actually understand anything about education here in Malta. We are stuck with a handful of lawyers who think they can get by because they spent a long time in a school at some point in their lives. Flash news - it is not enough. One needs the right mindset as one has to have a vision. Our education system is important enough to warrant that much.

First, one has to actually care and also know how the system works. One should be familiar with what changes are going on, and there are a lot of them to contend with. There needs to be a recognition of the need to actually have enough teachers inside classrooms, as this priority has been postponed for over a decade. We have reached a crisis point with kids still left without teachers.

Teaching is an unappetizing job to many because of the way we are viewed by society. In general, too many view us as leeches, parasites, do-nothing babysitters. It is an idea which was fueled also by the department itself, with jibes like the half-yearly exams being two-week holidays for teachers. Let us remove them. They were a terrible mistake.

With an election around the corner, Clifton Grima might risk a short stay as minister, but for now he still has to face the same challenges which his predecessors comfortably ignored, thinking they could postpone them forever. He has a window of opportunity to take serious action. Educators are waiting for their new laptops during a pandemic and at a time where digital literacy is key. We have to teach in classrooms too cold to concentrate in, reminiscent of Dickensian novels. A functioning photocopier can make or break your day. The Internet is a moody ally, and interactive whiteboards a delicate and expensive commodity.

No matter the level of experience, there will always be a parent or superior who will try to make you feel like you are not as good as they think they are in their own head. At their whim, years of experience gained through sheer passion might as well go up in smoke.

From a practical perspective, education needs to finally be given some respect, with actual experts in the field managing it. Money should be pumped there, right where it is needed, towards teachers and students. No matter how many directors or College Principals one has, the classroom will always be the theatre where the action happens.

We therefore need to cut down on the number of managerial positions. We also need to shorten the course at University, bringing it down from five years to three. The PGCE course should immediately be re-established to try and fill the vacancies for educators. We need more child psychologists and a better equipped CDAU, as the people there are managing miracles with the lack of resources which they have.

The department needs a revamp, and the profession needs and demands respect. Being responsible for other people’s children should be given the value it actually deserves. In a society which is rife with cronyism and mediocrity, education should be given even more importance. The change starts at the roots, and at the roots is education.

Sandra Gauci is Deputy Secretary General of ADPD.