Part II of the Education (Amendment) Act 2006 addresses the constitution and functions of directorates of education, while Part V addresses the autonomy of the new colleges of state schools. The provision for the creation of new networks at Maltese state primary and secondary education levels, and for the restructuring of the Education Division in the Bill is the end result of the implementation of the educational reforms.
Maltese education has come a long way in these past 42 years. In the process, both the ministry and the Education Division have translated vision into action by providing certain autonomy to school units and other educational establishments. Over a decade ago, Attard (1996) stated that: "In conformity with the ongoing decentralisation process at government level, both the education system and educational institutions are being gradually but steadily decentralised so that decisions are made and taken at the lowest possible level and action becomes more effective."
Decentralisation is said to strengthen development and improvements in schools as learning communities because it underpins the transfer of decision-making to individual schools. The historical milestones of Maltese education in the last decade have shown that decentralisation has affected Maltese education positively. There has been a proactive reaction and has made "schools more responsive to its community of learners." (Sultana et al., 1997)
The process of autonomy and democracy has brought about changes that were to be forbearers of future changes with one goal in mind - making the child the centre of learning. "Our focus in this restructuring and renewal process is the child who will benefit from an enhanced teaching-learning process." (Galea, 2005).
The top educational management of the ministry has continued to strive in its journey to translate the concept of quality education from theory into practice. May 2003 saw the launch of the Excel Network (a forum which networks Maltese school leaders with their counterparts in the UK, in order to share ideas and good practice) because local leaders in education have systematically looked beyond Maltese shores to ensure that what is taking place in Maltese schools was comparable with the latest happenings and trends internationally. Looking beyond our shores has had positive results because it has helped to make the implementation of reforms successful and improve the quality of Maltese education wherein every child will succeed. Further implementation of the reforms continues to deepen the commitment of Maltese educators to make our educational system more child-centred. This is the result of resolute Minister Louis Galea, who publicly admitted that education in Malta has to go through changes and to achieve these changes our education system must receive an overhaul.
The minister's commitment to give more autonomy to the schools and less control by the education division is complemented by his vision of a new framework for the local state schools which is illustrated in his opening speech of the debate on the Bill amending the Education Act: "The Bill creates the legislative framework for state schools to be grouped into colleges..."
The minister believes that in this new phase of educational reforms networks will improve Maltese education because they will offer the opportunity for teachers to share and draw on the knowledge of other stakeholders, such as other teachers, parents and professionals. Hopkins (2000) holds that networks will "mediate between centralised and decentralised structures, and assist in the process of re-structuring and re-culturing educational organisations and systems."
However, introducing a new system or an innovative reform is not enough. This has to be complemented and managed by the right kind of leadership and governance that manage to unite all the school communities around a purpose that is relevant, whatever the contexts or current circumstances. Leaders and policy makers need to remember that implementing innovative reforms is not enough but attention should be given to research and, as Dr Galea (2005) pointed out, "to careful preparation, piloting, gradual implementation, periodic evaluation, training and effective dialogue with stakeholders, including proper information campaigns."
School networking in Malta is still in its embryo stage and (as with all forms of innovations) needs to be monitored and, when the need arises, fine-tuned so that society would continue to benefit and reap the best results for all children to succeed.
The creation of inter-school networks is part of the government's drive to implement educational reform in the Maltese Islands.
The inter-school networks and the whole educational reform not only have significant implications for educational leadership, but present an excellent research opportunity which has considerable potential to develop understandings of educational leadership.
In October 2005, the government piloted four colleges that were to introduce the concept of school networks, and in October 2006 established another four colleges. The government believes that with the right leadership and governance, the formation of networks that are driven by collaborative and competitive endeavour can play a significant role in creating a first class system of education and of schools.
In educational settings, networks have been characterised as "purposeful social entities" (Ministry of Education, 2005) that have the potential to stimulate teamwork and motivate key players to work together in collegial atmosphere that will lead to the improvement of both student and teacher learning. Arguably, these outcomes can only be achieved with the right leadership.
Other research studies in this area and in other educational reforms should help unravel new realities about the comprehensive process of educational review that the Ministry of Education has embarked on. Educational research, as a process, is necessary and should be considered as an essential component within the brief of the directorates' portfolios because it can perform different functions in education: it can help determine if objectives had been achieved, and it can help educators improve the quality of educational life for the students, and enhance their own perception of school realities.
Future research and evaluation of the reforms, especially those that address the creation of new networks or colleges, and the restructuring of the Education Division, should be embarked upon, so that the discoveries of new truths will empower and offer beneficial directions to all stakeholders who have one common goal, the enhancement of the teaching-learning process.
Reforms have shown that improvements in key areas are possible. They continue to strengthen Malta's educational system whose core principle is the importance and centrality of clear focus on student learning. Providing for students' needs and understanding the real meaning of child-centred education should help us understand that reviewing educational policies should be an ongoing process because there is always room for improvement. Although education has made progress, we cannot stop there. The leaders, officials and persons concerned should strive to continue on this road of progress, providing an improved quality education, where the child truly becomes and remains at the core of our educational discourse.
Concluded: The first part was published last week.
Mr Cutajar, M.Ed., is reading for a doctorate at Bath University. His research is entitled "An Analysis of Educational Leadership in an Inter-School Networking context in the Maltese Islands" and aims to analyse the nature of educational leadership in this context.
mario.cutajar@um.edu.mt.