Changing the face of our state schools

Like other parts of the public service, the state school sector has not been complacent in the face of change. There is no better proof of this than its advances in using IT in teaching methods, the director-general of Education, Dr Cecilia Borg, said.

She only took over as director-general in January, but she already seems to have a clear idea of what she wants to achieve.

She holds regular meetings with her seven directors, to ensure that the state school system remains a trendsetter. And it is not just the teaching systems which are constantly updated: it is also management techniques, which ensure that there are checks and balances on whether targets are being met.

The Division has an important job to identify how to take the National Minimum Curriculum to its conclusion: The NMC outlines the philosophy of what has to be done. This has then to be interpreted by specific subject curricula. In turn, curricula need to be benchmarked to determine what is an acceptable level of performance in each subject and how many children are reaching that level.

Benchmarking is now possible using level descriptors, which establish the level a child should reach in each class for each subject. Feedback will be received at the end of the academic year.

"We did something similar with literacy four years ago, and a follow-up took place last year. The first test four years ago showed us where we needed to improve, and the follow-up showed us that we had succeeded. Those at the weakest levels are being brought up to higher levels. However, we cannot afford to be complacent."

Exciting developments in IT are also finding their way into schools. Each child has an e-mail address, and schools take part in Comenius projects with their counterparts in other countries.

"This is fantastic for the children who learn about other cultures over the three or four years of the project. Some of the projects end with visits abroad to some or all of the five other schools involved in each project.

"We are also really thrilled that special schools are taking part in Comenius programmes."

IT is also being used to make teaching more interactive. The Technology in Education Unit has set up a Website where students can access lesson notes, projects and even education games.

Physics students can also download tutorials, homework and seek assistance, a service that will gradually be extended to other subjects.

Dr Borg believes it is not fair to hold back children who could be stretched further, while at the same time offering appropriate educational provision for those who are lagging behind.

In this regard, last year, the Division introduced Year 7 in primary schools, so those who do not get into junior lyceum can spend another year and try again.

"It makes a world of a difference to a child to spend an extra year in primary, as opposed to being told he is repeating."

Teachers receive three days of training every year as a matter of course, and many are also keen to take part in the exchanges possible through EU membership.

"We are fortunate because the average age of teachers in Malta is younger than overseas.

They are very open to new methods of teaching and new technology," Dr Borg said.

However, Dr Borg would like to see better involvement from parents, as well as from teachers.

"Everyone has a stake in education: all the family is interested in the future of a child. Many parents take a real interest when the child is young, but this wanes with time.

As the child equates the teacher with a parent-substitute, this is why so many of them play up at school when what they really want is to get more attention at home."

The changes in society also affect the schools: take for example, the number of children from broken homes.

"We have too few trained counsellors, psychologists or school social workers to cope with the rising numbers of confused and hurt children. Unfortunately, although we regularly advertise, we find it hard to fill the vacancies."

She is also working hard to reverse the trend of students opting for independent schools, rather than government ones. State schools took 70.1 per cent of full-time students in 2001/2, compared to 72.1 per cent of them in 1994/5.

Much of this is down to the stigma attached to state schools, which she feels is truly unjustified.

One problem faced by state schools is that all incidents must be notified, drawing public attention to them.

"There are probably just as many unpleasant incidents in private and Church schools that the public would never find out about. Although we have a zero tolerance approach towards incidents, such as those involving threats to staff, I am glad to say that the number of incidents is actually small."

Unfortunately parents may sometimes fail to realise that their children may behave quite differently at home than at school, she explained.

"Children may report something to their parents but, as with everything in life, they need to hear both sides. Some parents are afraid that the children will think this means that they are not being believed. But it is good for the children to learn that there is always a context."

"So many parents think that school is about getting certificates to be able to get a job. Yes, of course, that is important, but school is where our children develop in a holistic manner."

The Division is now looking ahead: after seven years of preparatory work, School Development Plans have been drawn up by a group of selected heads, based mostly on the Scottish model. SDPs will be mandatory in state school, identifying a number of quality indicators.

"As heads were involved in drawing the SDPs up, they will have a stake in ensuring their success," Dr Borg said.

Closely related to the SDP is a Performance Management Pro-gramme for teachers. The PMP, a performance assessment tool used throughout the public service, has been customised so that it translates the SDP into targets for individual teachers. There will be an assessment of progress at the year-end.

"PMP makes the teachers aware of what should be achieved. Now we can get out there and achieve it."

The Division looks forward to bringing about the necessary changes that will in turn bring about a culture change in Maltese educational provision.

"All students have a right to quality education and as the Education Division we are committed to work in this direction" said Dr Borg.