The Skolasajf fiasco capped a year of poor management, according to the teachers’ union.
Kevin Bonello, who heads the Malta Union of Teachers, told Times of Malta the Foundation for Educational Services – responsible for organising the State summer school programme – had been experiencing executive difficulties for several months.
“Whenever we’ve been involved with them, there have been problems coming from the top administration. This has been the case for quite some time now and wasn’t limited to Skolasajf,” Mr Bonello said.
An inquiry into the running of the summer school identified former foundation CEO Roderick Agius as the main person responsible for the poor organisation.
They should never have been put in such positions
Thousands of parents were left fuming when Skolasajf centres remained closed for a week due to staff shortages.
The inquiry found that Mr Agius had not informed Education Minister Evarist Bartolo of the problem – he was short of 220 teaching staff – until just two days before schools were meant to open their gates.
Contacted for a reaction, Mr Agius declined to comment.
Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said he felt the main problem behind the fiasco was a lack of managerial skills, and the deployment of under-qualified personnel in executive roles.
“The issue here was that we have people who were good teachers, and even school heads, but had no managerial skills.
“They should never have been put in such positions in the first place,” he said, adding that the Skolasajf delay had proved that a review of how people were promoted to executive positions was necessary.
Mr Bonello, however, claims he had experienced similar problems in other programmes organised by the foundation, well before the Skolasajf issue.
“The daycare programme organised for young children, as well as the after-school programme for those of varied ages, both had serious administrative problems.
“This happened last year and to a certain extent the year before that,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party said Mr Bartolo was shifting the blame on to the foundation.
In a statement, the Opposition questioned why Mr Bartolo had not shouldered any responsibility for appointments made to the FES.
The party said the inquiry’s report showed Mr Bartolo and the government had taken rushed decisions that were too late for the foundation to implement.
As expected, the inquiry board appointed by the minister himself had failed to scrutinise decisions taken by the minister in this case, it added.
The board was headed by Education Ministry consultant Paul Bonello, who also sits on a committee together with Mr Bartolo.
“It is typical of Mr Bartolo to set up boards to try to hide political mistakes made by the government through lack of foresight, lack of planning and lack of serious leadership,” the PN said.