Professional development for student councils' link teachers

It is evident that democracies in our time are finding it increasingly challenging to motivate their citizens to be active and engaged in society and in the political process. One could also discern a certain degree of disillusionment with government and traditional authority.

For instance several electoral occasions in the EU have demonstrated chilling apathy and lack of interest from citizens. Malta is not totally immune to this phenomenon either. If they are to thrive, democratic societies need citizens who are willing to participate in political and other social processes that affect their lives; and in so doing have a say in the decisions affecting them directly.

Student councils can go a long way towards addressing this issue and towards introducing a good dose of democracy in our schools. No doubt the best way to teach young people about democracy is to let them try it out, and student councils provide opportunities for this whether by electing class/form representatives, or by discussing and voting for particular issues.

Slowly but surely student councils are establishing themselves in Maltese primary and secondary schools, especially state ones. The hard work that has already been carried out, both within previous and current initiatives is bearing fruit and gathering momentum. However, more needs to be done and the aim of the Education Division is to have all schools with fully functional student councils.

It is the responsibility of all educators especially administrators, to provide opportunity and structure for this important educational endeavour. Of course the concept needs to be further developed, as are the various skills needed to lead these councils.

Towards this end professional development sessions have been held every Tuesday from mid-February till the end of May for link teachers and potential link teachers of student councils from both primary and secondary schools. These have brought together teachers and school administrators from government, church and independent schools alike.

These sessions were offered by the Department of Student Services and International Relations. They were generally well attended and available for all schools in Malta and Gozo. Under the direction of Josephine Vassallo, Education Officer, Democracy and Values Education, assisted by her team, the sessions were organised in small groups to facilitate discussion.

They aimed to achieve the following: to create or consolidate awareness of reasons for having such councils; to consider the role of student councils within the school to explore the role of the link teacher; to share strategies for making the councils a whole school objective; and to share ideas to help build links between schools and student councils.

Most importantly, and apart from these formal aims, these sessions also aimed to provide an experiential forum where participants could learn from each other's experiences and ideas, as well as share concerns and difficulties currently being encountered.

One of the most commonly voiced concerns regarded the difficulty of when the councils should meet. There exists a tension between the academic pressure being exerted by our system and the need for extra-curricular activities such as council meetings. Our challenge in this case is to find ways for tackling such an issue.

The educational value of student councils and the immense benefits for our students cannot be overemphasised. Among many other benefits, there is a marked degree of social and moral responsibility involved. There is also the need for education about both rights and responsibilities within the school community. Our NMC envisions our schools as democratic laboratories. The authoritative Titus Alexander emphasises the need for schools to be transformed into the foundations of a democratic society. Research shows that involvement in participatory activities enhances learning with resulting higher levels of attendance and examination attainment.

Student councils can help us more dramatically in this direction. There is thus a certain urgency for the proverbial bull to be taken by the horns by all those concerned, that is, all responsible educators.

Here is a golden opportunity for schools to somewhat regain their status as agents of change and re-assert their vocation in this direction.

Mr Borg is subject coordinator (citizenship and values education).