Church schools are having difficulties to find educators to recruit when vacancies arise due to a shortage of candidates in the sector, Director General of the Secretariat for Catholic Education Ian Mifsud told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

The situation is similar to the recruitment issues other sectors in the country face, he said.

There are 55 Church schools across the Maltese island, six of which are based in Gozo. Three fall under the Gozo Diocese, and two in Malta fall under the Archdiocese of Malta, while the rest belong to the various religious orders, he explained. The Secretariat provides administrative, curricular, pastoral and psycho-social support to all 55 Church schools. The Secretariat also administers the admission process into Church schools at Year 1 Kindergarten, Year 2 Kindergarten, Year 1 Primary, Form 1/Year 7 Secondary and when necessary at other specific levels.

During the interview, Mifsud, when asked about the recruitment of educators, said that Church schools "are facing serious challenges in finding, not just teachers, but also Learning Support Educators (LSEs). In specific subject areas, the challenge to find qualified teachers is even greater," he said. Mifsud highlighted Sciences as one such area, pointing out that individuals specialised in this field may be less inclined to work in the compulsory education sector due to numerous lucrative job opportunities.

He said that the issues faced by Church schools are reflective of challenges within the education sector in general. "This problem has been progressing gradually for at least the past 15 years," he added, describing it as "very serious”.

In terms of vacancies, Mifsud said that by now Church schools have mostly filled the positions, but at various costs. "For example, there are teachers who are being compensated additionally to cover extra lessons beyond their contractual obligation. There are one or two schools that did not manage to recruit educators for specific subjects such as computing, and had to offer tuition for free to students after school hours.” 

“State, Church, independent school sectors and trade unions, particularly the Malta Union of Teachers,” Mifsud said, “need to work collectively to restore the dignity and respect that educators enjoyed in the past, as that is what may be lacking the most today.” This is part of a wider issue, he said. “People in authority do not always do their best to attract respect, and this may also be the case with some educators. However, it’s the few such cases that regretfully society hears about, even though every day there are extensively more examples of colleagues giving their heart out to helping others in silence, as should be the role of every educator. We need to celebrate the latter who are passionate in making a positive difference in the lives of others.” Mifsud expressed hope in young people, as they are in search of something that provides fulfilment and not just earnings. 

Regarding LSEs, Church schools manage to recruit the numbers they need, he said, but there is a large gap in time between a vacancy, the call for applications and the selection process.

MaltaCAN, a voluntary organisation made up of 14 independent organisations advocating the promotion and support of children's rights, recently said that it is "deeply troubled by the escalating segregation of children on the autism spectrum in Malta". It said: "There is a disturbing trend of pushing children on the autism spectrum away from mainstream education, limiting their opportunities for inclusive learning experiences."

When asked about his concerns regarding this, Mifsud said that since the formation of formal schooling, there have been children who have had to succeed despite schooling, not thanks to it.

“Schooling was designed to fulfil a specific purpose: to prepare people to conform in a world of work, when in fact we have been increasingly insisting that education is for life and for those of us who believe, what comes beyond material life.” Certain students may be more at odds in such a restrained context. Some students on the autism spectrum may struggle the most, while others with autism might perform brilliantly. “But yes, I am concerned. Don Lorenzo Milani accuses schools of being hospitals for the cured, and we risk being so. We risk being very selective in the type of student we want to have in our classroom and who would be the perfect student, when in fact the student who possibly needs us the most would probably not have such characteristics and would need more effort."

Asked whether Church schools have enough resources to ensure that children on the autism spectrum receive the required support to remain in mainstream education, he referred to the agreement with the government. “The 1991 agreement between the Holy See and the Republic of Malta guaranteed that we have the basic operational requirements met.” The 1991 deal, among other things, covered the operation of Church schools, mandating them to provide tuition free of charge while being allowed to accept donations.

“I cannot say that our schools are not resourced to meet different needs. However, we are increasingly encountering individual cases whose needs are at an extent which the current resources do not adequately meet.” On this point, he questioned the structures being used.

Mifsud would have preferred the idea of having specialised units within mainstream schools looked into earlier. “When I had the opportunity to visit such units abroad, the people running them would be teachers with further specialisations and other professionals. The unit would work to support students in their mainstream education through in- and out-of-class intervention. At some point, we need to consider that kind of setup and I believe that the state is starting to explore it through some pilot projects. In terms of Church schools, we haven't done so yet, other than in one limited instance.”

Union negotiations

Discussions between the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the government over a new sectoral agreement have been ongoing. Last year, the union had even held a one-day strike over the issue. When asked whether Church schools are involved in these discussions, Mifsud said that they hold discussions with both parties in parallel and put forward recommendations. "If we want a measure to be introduced, we would need to lobby for both sides to appreciate its benefits and accept it,” he said. Through the 1991 agreement, the government pays for the majority of operational staff, he said.

Regarding concerns about the delay in signing the sectoral agreement between the state and the union, Mifsud expressed that he isn't concerned. A few years ago, Mifsud occupied the post of Director General (Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education) within the Ministry for Education and Employment, and he was involved in the previous sectoral agreement negotiations. "These negotiations take time. I'm not surprised.”

“I would have been concerned if the agreement was rushed, as that would mean an agreement would have been found on financials, but no real gains in terms of quality would have been achieved."

As for whether he has any issues with the way the negotiations took place, given that directives had been imposed for a time, he said: "Parties will use legitimate and permissible strategies they have at hand, and unions can resort to industrial action. It is the employees’ right. I am concerned over the marginal loss there was, but in the larger scheme of things, considering the gains one hopes there would be once an agreement is signed for everyone involved, the loss of a day is very relative. I appreciate that all parties need to use strategies they deem most fit, while considering impact on others. The way negotiations unfolded in this particular agreement was respectable by both the state and union as, even when there was disagreement between them, there never was any perceivable excessive tension or unproductive animosity."

Asked about how he views Church schools in an increasingly secular context, Mifsud said “Church schools will never renounce their Christian identity. However, unless the secular drive pushes for a neutralisation of diversities instead of celebrating them, there certainly may be a common value base that unites. Religion should serve as a vehicle to bring us together and not to draw us apart. I cannot see how the universal Catholic values of love and respect are in contradiction with this development in contemporary society.”

Asked for his opinion about the main challenge for education in general today, he pointed to drastic shifts in society itself, noting a change in values. Society, he mentioned, is succumbing to the drive of moving away from the idea of giving for the common good and instead focussing on what can be instantly gained for personal gratification, even if short-lived. "Education rests on three main actors – the students, parents and educators. As educators, we need to love our students, create a safe and stimulating environment, for them to engage and learn.”

"Educators do have a huge impact on students, and some studies quantify this to be a 30% influence on an individual's life. The remaining 70% comes from out-of-school factors, predominantly from the family, the parents and the individual students themselves. We owe who we are to our parents. It is not only a matter of how educated a child's parents are but about how committed they are, how willing they are to sacrifice and show that education is important.” What is problematic, he said, is when this engagement from parents is not that forthcoming or there is an impression that formal education is the exclusive responsibility of schools. “I do not mean to be judgemental, as being a parent myself, I recognise that, if it ever was, being a parent today is not easy.”

Mifsud said that instead of focusing on long-term happiness, outside pressures push the focus on what could be gained instantly. "Most educators would have never chosen this route for financial gain. I hope that most educators have chosen their path because of a passion to give. But they are faced with pressures nonetheless."

He said that these are challenges that can be overcome. "It also gives us an opportunity to rethink what education is all about," he said, highlighting the need to change this mentality.

Last November, the Church in Malta said that the next step following the completion of the Future of Church Schools report involves continued collaboration among the Secretariat for Catholic Education, the Church Schools’ Association and the Superior Major Religious Council to formulate action plans for the proposed enhancements in Church schools’ identity, formation of staff and governing structures in Malta and Gozo. Mifsud said that the aims of the action plans have so far been drafted, but the details are still in the process of being drawn up. He said that he is not in a position to divulge information at this stage. "Going forward, however, the pool of people who will contribute to these action plans will be widened and will involve as wide a pool of people and stakeholders as possible.”

"The three main areas we need to focus on are clearly articulating our identity, creating formation programmes that are aligned with this identity and setting up all the governance structures required to ensure the enduring relevance and sustainability of Church schools in a reality where most of them will no longer be led by someone from the same religious order, but would most often be led by an employed layperson. As with any other organisation, there needs to be governance structures in place that give a sense of direction, give a sense of security for accountability as well, and all of this needs to be set up. A few schools are ahead, others need to be supported to reach that level.”

Asked about the exam-oriented culture of today’s education system, he believes it should change, but "not in a hasty radical way”.

He said that memory retention is a skill which does need to be learned and harnessed. "But once exams are over, you refresh your RAM and move onto the next thing. When students are given more opportunities on assignments, project work, teamwork, which combines the intellect with the heart and the hands, it works wonders. Exams tend to fail in combining all three to the same extent.”

“A number of students are ambitious and want to deliver well in exams, and there is a sense of passion, but less so than when engaging in project work with others and being hands-on. Having a greater balance between more traditional exams and varied modes of ongoing assessment as we are having today, is a step in the right direction, but is not the point of arrival,” he said. 

Having relatively high-stakes exams at age 16 is something Malta needs to rethink in the future, he said, “but not right now”.

“It is important that we are given time to evolve into new thinking. If we rush into things we risk harming our system. I hope to see the day when schools will have gained sufficient trust in themselves and each other so that, like many other education systems, we will have high-stakes assessments at age 18, but no need for them at age 16. However, I don't see this change happening any time soon, and if it happens too soon it would do more harm than good. History has taught us that, when we rushed into things, there was a pendulum effect.”