The Malta Union of Teachers said the prospect of another reform in the education sector raises a number of issues, while indicating that curriculum boards "are dysfunctional and have not been convened for several months".

Referring to comments made by Education Minister Byron Camilleri, the MUT said the curriculum lies at the centre of the educational provision and any amendments to it will affect thousands of educators, students and families. It will also provide the direction of the education sector for the years to come.

The last review of the curriculum was published in 2012 through the National Curriculum Framework document.  Any amendment to the curriculum needs to be carried out by considering the wider spectrum of the development of students, their holistic development, their career prospects, together with opportunities and challenges of a developing world.

Whilst changes in the curriculum are necessary, the prospects of yet another reform in the education sector raises a number of issues which need to be addressed before attempting to undertake any changes. The Education Ministry currently lacks a solid curricular structure with no officer at the helm of the Curriculum Department and the lack of curricular expertise within its structures.

Calls for a number of subject specialists like Education Officers and Heads of Department are not being issued and some subjects had vacant curricular leader posts for a number of years. The Ministry is instead engaging tens of managers who have no background in educational provisions, let alone in any specialised area such as the curriculum. A curricular change requires that curricular structures are in place.

Curricular boards such as the National Curriculum Framework board are dysfunctional and have not been convened for several months. Other curricular boards are in the same situation.  Curricular change requires teachers and all educators to be on board and their input is essential throughout the process. The fact that educators heard about the proposed curricular reform from media does not augur well about their involvement in the requested changes. 

Curricular change requires a research based approach, an evaluation of the current curricular model, solid expertise and the participation of educators and stakeholders including the Faculty of Education within the University of Malta, IFE, MCAST, FES, ITS, Church and Independent schools, the MUT said.

A clear distinction needs to be made whether the proposed changes shall affect the syllabi, the curriculum framework or both. A clarification is also required whether the proposed changes shall affect compulsory education, pre-compulsory, post-compulsory or all the sectors.

Assessment is central in curricular changes and it was revised in the past years through the Learning Outcomes approach. However this approach has not yet been evaluated. Similarly school-based assessment has been introduced in the past years but lacks evaluation. No curricular changes can be made without a proper evaluation of current models.

Any changes in the educational system should be carried out by valuing the expertise of educators in schools and by placing students at the centre of educational provision, the MUT said.