Updated 12pm - Added video

A public consultation process on proposed changes to the Education Act, including the introduction of homeschooling, was launched today by the Education Minister.

Parents keen to homeschool their children would have to apply to the Commission for General Education for permission to do so. Authorisation would come at the parents' expense and be subject to the conditions laid down by the commission. 

Lobbying for the introduction of homeschooling has been going on since at least 2014, and the Education Minister had hinted at its introduction back in 2013. 

The proposed changes would also create a quasi-judicial board for educational matters tasked with deciding on a child's best interest when there is disagreement between parents and school authorities, disagreement among parents or when one of the parents is missing. 

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo announced the proposed changes at a press conference this morning. 

Other changes the government is proposing include: 

• Regulating kindergarten assistants and learning support assistants by awarding them a licence and integrating them into an Educators' Council that would replace the existing Council for the Teaching Profession.

• Granting the civil court the power to take children away from their parents if they refuse to send their children to school.

• Having Student Impact Assessments when introducing new policies and educational initiatives.
  
  
• Promoting subsidiarity and self-governance in the running and management of state schools.
  
  
• Including the University of Malta, MCAST, the Educators' Council and the National Commission for Further and Higher Education as part of a stand-alone Act dealing solely with the main principles underpinning education in Malta and state schools. 
  
  
• Removing existing references to two directorates and instead making reference only to the Department of Education. 
  
  
• Making the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education a separate legal personality, given its status as a regulator.

The public consultation process will run until October 7. Feedback can be submitted at education@gov.mt

Home schooling can only be done by qualified teachers 

In the evening, Mr Bartolo said home schooling can only be done by teachers in possession of a teaching warrant and not the parents themselves.

Home schooling is nothing new Mr Bartolo said, as it is already available to children with physical or mental difficulties.

On the American University of Malta, Mr Bartolo said that just because the government is attracting foreign universities to the country does not mean that the University of Malta will be abandoned.

He emphasised that university licenses are not for sale and the AuM had to go through a rigorous process to achieve accreditation.

Mr Bartolo said that youth unemployment had been reduced by eight per cent over the past three years.

He said Malta had an obsession with tests and exams, yet education must be broader than this and encompass essential life skills.

Parliamentary secretary for sports Chris Agius said five proposals for a motor racing track are currently being assessed.

The country’s limitations are well known he said, therefore a discussion is needed on where new sporting facilities can be placed.