Teachers are suffering from “reform fatigue” because they are expected to absorb too many changes in too little time, according to their union’s chief.
Abolishing streaming also brought about differentiated teaching
The president of the Malta Union of Teachers, Kevin Bonello, said too many reforms had taken place in such a limited period that teachers were finding it difficult to cope with any more changes.
While some teachers found it hard getting used to the new interactive whiteboards in schools, others were being expected to change the way they prepared for lessons and there were also those who were still getting used to college-based exams.
Abolishing streaming also brought about “differentiated teaching”, something completely new for some teachers.
This was among pre-election proposals made by the MUT, which also said political parties should consider whether it was time to abolish the use of uniforms in schools to offer students a more homely education.
It also said parties should look at the school uniform policy and see what was happening in other European countries, such as the UK, where some schools had a uniform policy and others did not.
Commenting on its 22-page document, Mr Bonello said the union was calling for proper legislation on cyber bullying and bullying at the place of work to protect not only students but also educators. Although there was no drastic increase in bullying, cases were becoming more frequent.
The union is suggesting parental skills training for those who require extra help, if need be linking it to children’s allowance or any other social security payout.
He said the state should look further than the country’s education system because more than 50 per cent of student education and formation took place outside school hours.
“Even parents need continuous professional development.
“They need to be given the tools to put their children at the centre of their lives and their investments,” he said.
The union called for a parents’ association, which would be able to support other parents in need.
It complained that teachers were looked down upon by the public because statements in the past few years had undermined their integrity and professionalism.
The union said the government should embark on a national campaign to improve the way people looked at teachers. It should also launch a campaign to see what could be done to attract more men to the profession.
Bigger and more spacious staff rooms with all the equipment teachers needed to carry out their jobs professionally also feature among the proposals.
The MUT admitted that it still could not understand how schools in Gozo were the responsibility of the Gozo Ministry rather than the Education Ministry.
It said the government should address the situation in certain Gozo schools where there were only two, three or four students in a classroom, saying this was not “educationally sane”.