The Malta Independent 10 February 2025, Monday
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TMID Editorial: Communication skills and technology

Monday, 20 January 2025, 10:14 Last update: about 21 days ago

During an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, the President of the Malta Union of Teachers made a few points regarding the education sector in Malta that need to be highlighted.

One worrying point the MUT chief made regards communication skills in young children. The use of technology today is widespread. Youths need to know how to operate technological devices, and how to navigate the web safely, otherwise they will struggle later on. However, that does not mean that children should just be left on their ipads or phones all the time.

Human interaction, talking to children, playing games that are not on a screen is extremely important.

Bonnici has heard from those who teach kindergarten or childcare that they have come across children who don't know how to talk. "How can you have a three- or four-year-old who doesn't know how to talk, unless there is a condition? If there is a condition then obviously we work on that condition. The reason, often, is that they don't have adults to talk to, but they do have their devices." There are students whose language, the way they speak, "is like in a video game," he added. That is not the result of a balance being found.

Face-to-face communication is vital and builds social skills that children need for the future, he said, and he is right. Over-reliance on screens or virtual games to occupy a child could negatively impact social skills. "Even face-to-face communication can be challenging for a person who is nearly all the time immersed in a device," Bonnici said, as he went on to explain that many schools have policies prohibiting the use of devices on school grounds, and this is the reason.

On another point, when asked whether there is a teacher shortage in the country, he said that while there are no classes without teachers, if a teacher goes out on sick leave it is very hard to find a replacement. Given the rising population, and the potential increase in students as a result, the government must remain on top of things and ensure that there are enough educators to cater for any future increase. Last year the government and the union signed a new collective agreement for the sector. One hopes that the end result will be that more people would be attracted to this noble profession.

Bonnici went on to say that there is a reliance on supply teachers. "That worries me. These supply teachers have opportunities to become regular teachers, undertake courses etc. but when you have a strong percentage of supply teachers, who do not yet have the full training of teachers, then that can affect the level of service given. If we remove supply teachers from the equation, then I would say we have an enormous shortage of teachers. With supply teachers, we don't."

For the country to have more regular teachers, it will take time, but surely having more people entering the education profession will help down the line.

 

 

 

 


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