The planned reform at Mcast seems to be aimed at increasing the number of positions to be filled by individuals who would be well paid rather than vocational education, shadow minister Therese Comodini Cachia said.

In a statement this morning, Ms Comodini Cachia said the Opposition was in favour of any reform out of which students would benefit. However, there were still many questions which were still unanswered and which were creating more doubts than peace of mind.

The Opposition noted that the reform was carried out without any consultation.

This, Dr Comodini Cachia said, was not the way reforms were carried out in a sector as sensitive as education, especially in colleges such as Mcast, which hosted more than 10,000 students a year.

Dr Comodini Cachia said it was not changes in administration that Mcast students needed but equipment and educational material as well as training which would prepare them for the employment world.

MCAST REPLIES

In a statement of reply, Mcast said the sole aim of the proposed reform was not only to improve vocational education in Malta but to ensure that each student was at the heart of vocational education in Malta.

"Mcast is an institution that offers education from levels 1 to 6 of the Malta Qualifications Framework. Any educator will immediately understand that such a wide spectrum presents totally different challenges across the levels. It is thus imperative to ensure that students' needs are addressed differently."

The proposal to form three colleges, each focusing on specific levels would ensure that students received the programmes and attention that they neeedd as well as more specific pedagogies and links with stakeholders.

"Mcast has taken its mission very seriously and over the past years has achieved excellent results in offering students a second chance, as well as offering progression routes into higher education for vocationally trained students. This has always been done following consultations with all stakeholders, ranging from schools, industry and unions to name a few. It should be noted that the proposed reforms build on previous investments on infrastructure and resources. They will ensure sustainable growth and more effective education," Mcast said. 

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.