When the state decided to pass on the responsibility of some of its post-secondary schools to the University, there was a mixed reaction of agreement and disagreement about this measure. Till this day, the matter remains a question of opinion. Meanwhile, the state has held on to some of its post-secondary institutions. The problem remained, however, that of a particular status these institutions deserved. To this day, government post-secondary schools remain mostly a slightly glorified version of secondary schools. Many times the Education Division itself has issued circulars "to state primary and secondary schools" forgetting that it also ran post-secondary schools.

The problem with such a phenomenon is intrinsic. Post-secondary institutions do not sufficiently promote and effect a self-development that makes them deserve a post-secondary status.

Indeed what is a post-secondary institution? More often than not, the "secondary" part of this expression is used in mentioning these schools. Most of the time one forgets that post-secondary also means pre-tertiary or pre-University. In my opinion, the government would feel obliged to accept giving a real post-secondary status to its institutions if a number of evolutionary measures were to be implemented.

I believe that the employment of government post-secondary staff, heads of department (for different subjects) and clerical administrative members, should be by a call for applications. In Malta we have for a long time laughed at staff employment procedures as very often only between 15 per cent and 20 per cent of global selection marks are allotted to academic qualifications. The time has come (actually the time should have come a long time ago) for a better recognition of academic qualifications to be put into practice. I believe that heads of department (for the different subjects) and clerical administrative members should possess no less than a Masters degree plus several years teaching experience. The obligatory teaching experience should, of course, be at Form V level of the secondary school. No offence is meant to primary teaching and administrative staff but the placing of such staff in post-secondary posts does not usually work well as primary education is too distant from pre-University education.

Post-secondary administrative staff must have a certain maturity and intellectuality related to the development of their advanced-level teaching staff and pre-adult students. This maturity and intellectuality exists in primary staff as well but it is of a different type from that required in post-secondary administration.

I have come across insufficiently-qualified administrative personnel - according to the standards hugged by mature and emancipated pedagogues - who are more interested in the petty matters of their staff movements and sneezes than the real, solid educational results of the students in their care.

I have come across insufficiently-qualified (as per high standards of maturity and emancipation) bureaucratic administrators who excitedly and euphorically haunt attendance registers ready to place intellectual signs near names of terrible offenders who do not make the deadline of arrival time even when it is distant from lecture time.

These intellectual red symbols solemnly applied to registers may range from underlining a digit or expression, placing a red question mark or exclamation mark, circling a letter of the alphabet or actually writing in red a patronising comment in red ink... and terrible English.

Obviously, these are typical examples of what post-secondary administrative personnel should not be like. Their childishness will rub onto the teaching staff who will not be allowed to mature and be emancipated enough to produce the same effect on their students.

Having undertaken an exercise in self and administrative enrichment, the government post-secondary will deserve to have a special status with improved salaries, work resources allowances for staff and other requirements of serious post-secondary institutions.

Above all, post-secondary academic and administrative responsibility must be placed in the trust of socially and intellectually grown-up adults who will receive secondary school students in their institution and deliver them to the University as accomplished post-secondary students.

Dr Licari has been an educator at all levels, especially at post-secondary and University levels.

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