The Malta Union of Teachers this morning expressed surprise that a decision had been taken for Forms I in government secondary schools to be co-ed as from this September, when a pilot project was not even half way through.
The union said it agreed with co-education and it believed that this was a step in the right direction. The union had also agreed last year that there should be a pilot project in order to build a model to follow and evaluate.
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Addressing a press conference, MUT president Kevin Bonello, said the government had not given a reason why it decided to roll out a nationwide co-education system just four months into the pilot project.
Addressing a press conference, MUT president Kevin Bonello said that since this reform was of paramount importance and was going to change the physiognomy and the whole educational culture once for all, there should have been at least a serious evaluation of the pilot project before taking a definitive decision.
He said the union had already shared this view with the Ministry of Education and the Education Directorate and a committee was established to evaluate the project at a National level. This committee shall be meeting later on today.
The union said it was also informed that the internal committee at the Pembroke School established to evaluate the pilot project had not met since the start of the scholastic year.
In other points on the education sector, Mr Bonello referred to the setting up of Breakfast Clubs for young pupils before school start.
He said the MUT was in favour of this initiative, which will be of benefit to working parents and to children alike. However the union had not yet been given details on where, when and how this initiative was going to be implemented.
"An initiative like this needs substantial investment and it is hoped that even in this case the investment required is allocated," Mr Bonello said.
Tablets
Turning to the introduction of tablets, Mr Bonello said the unio was also not against the introduction of tablets in education.
"The MUT expects tablets to aid teachers in their work and not become an extra burden on the Primary curriculum."
He said it was insisting that this project should not involve pupils in the middle of a scholastic year but should start from a new one. Tomorrow, the union will be holding the first of a series of meetings with the directorates in order to reach an agreement.