Primary and secondary school educators will be able to apply for paid study leave to enable them to further their studies following an agreement reached by the government and the teachers’ union.

Speaking during a visit to St Clare’s College, Pembroke – Malta’s first state co-ed secondary school – Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said the initiative will not only be applied to teachers but to all educators, including learning support assistants (LSAs), kindergarten assistants, heads and assistant heads of schools and education officers.

Applications for sabbaticals to be taken during the upcoming scholastic year will open in the coming weeks. The scheme will enable educators to take up to one scholastic year of paid leave in order to further their studies in related fields, making for greater focus and specialisation.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described the scheme as an investment which will see the government paying for the beneficiaries’ leave as well as engaging a replacement.

When the educators will return to class, our children will be obtaining that extra something

“When the educators will return to class, our children will be obtaining that extra something.”

Referring to the co-ed system, Dr Muscat said the school had conducted research to gauge the students’ experience of being in mixed classes.

“The students’ reply was: ‘What’s the big deal?’

“I think that the fuss on the issue was kicked up by people who didn’t understand the concept.

“We must have the courage to – I won’t use the word ‘experiment’ because we should never experiment on our children – but to take those steps to improve their education experience.”

Educators can either apply for a sabbatical lasting one scholastic year or for shorter periods.

Beneficiaries availing themselves of paid study leave must successfully complete their studies. Failure to do so will result in the applicants having to refund the salary paid during the period in question.

Beneficiaries should also not be engaged in any form of full- or part-time gainful employment or undertake full-time voluntary work with any voluntary organisation.

Applicants in receipt of any other ongoing scholarship will also not be eligible for paid study leave.

For more details about the eligibility criteria, visit www.education.gov.mt