The Faculty of Education supports initiatives that safeguard the wellbeing of minors and disadvantaged groups, and some of the work carried out by the faculty staff over the years is on the lines of a number of proposals currently being promoted through the Lisa Marie Foundation. The faculty is also in the process of providing feedback on the White Paper ‘Adults Working with Minors’ recently published by the Ministry for Education and Employment.

In relation to this, and with reference to the article entitled ‘New procedures are not some kind of witch-hunt’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, July 19), I wish to clarify that several courses of the Faculty of Education, which is responsible for teacher training, include study-units which deal specifically with professional ethics and ethical behaviour, as well as with interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. Some of my colleagues are specialists in these areas and have received local and international recognition.

Students who take courses in Education within the faculty are expected to behave ethically when they are in schools and to abide by the faculty’s Code of Practice for Students during Teaching Practice. We are also liaising with stakeholders in order to ensure that mentoring for student-teachers is introduced in our schools, in the firm belief that this is beneficial for all parties concerned.

The faculty’s Research Ethics Committee is responsible for providing students with ethics clearance and each proposal is examined rigorously also in order to ensure that consent is obtained from parents/guardians of minors whenever research is carried out in schools.

Regretfully, not all teachers employed in local schools are graduates in Education and the faculty welcomes initiatives which will help ascertain that all schools employ fully qualified professionals in this field and who carry out their teaching duties competently and responsibly.