Better communication is needed between the Education Ministry and the parents of Form 1 children who started their scholastic year in mixed gender classes, according to the Maltese Association of Parents of State School Students.
“I heard a lot of complaints from parents of children in co-education classes regarding the lack of communication,” president Simon Scicluna told Times of Malta.
“We are not against co-education but many parents needed to have their mind at ease that the schools, which previously catered for a single gender, were physically equipped for the change.”
I heard a lot of complaints from parents of children in co-education classes regarding the lack of communication
Bathrooms and physical education changing rooms needed to be segregated to respect the dignity of the male and female students. A simple circular letter would have sufficed, he added.
The ministry, he said, was better at involving parents now. The association was recently involved in drafting up a set of guidelines for parental involvement on school councils, which are awaiting approval.
On January 23, the association will be holding its first election and a representative of each college will sit on its board. This will coincide with the school council elections. Each school council is composed of three teachers and three parents.
“Unfortunately, the turnout is generally very low. I strongly encourage parents to participate. School councils should now be moving away from mere fundraising and make way for more parental involvement in the actual road map of the school,” Mr Scicluna said.
It was the parent’s right to be informed of the school development plan and what strategy the school would be adopting to reach its targets.
“The school’s management is responsible with drafting a plan to implement the government’s targets of higher literacy levels, for instance.
“Parents also need to be involved in the decision-making process. If we are informed of the new curriculum and systems adopted, we can reinforce what our children are learning at school rather than risking contradicting and confusing them,” he said.