MUT warn school audit report ‘sends worrying message to educators’

A National Audit Office report on state primary schools “sends a worrying message” to educators as it highlights financial benefits above all other considerations, the Malta Union of Teachers have warned.

An NAO report published in Parliament on Wednesday called for a phased amalgamation of state primary schools, so as to improve the cost efficiency of the educational sector.

However, the MUT argued that classes with less populations offer students more individualized support, both on academic and personal levels.

“This can hardly be done in huge classes full to the brim with children of many different abilities,” the MUT said. “Efficiency in terms of cost per student is unrelated to effective learning and effective school management, both of which cannot be calculated by simply adding the cost and dividing it by the number of students in the school and other simplistic calculations.”

The union pointed out that the law on national minimum conditions for schools provides clear guidelines about standards including minimum classroom space.

“It is high time that such minimum conditions are adhered to as currently there are only a couple of schools which were built according to the criteria of this legislation,” the MUT said. “Therefore, for more efficient use of resources, the Union believes that better use of current spaces and human resources should be made. It does not make sense, for example in Gozo, to have one school which is full to the brim with children coming from all localities and hardly any space for proper recreation and exercise, while other schools are being allowed to dwindle in population.”

The MUT recounted how Education Minister Evarist Bartolo had stated earlier this year that mega-schools no longer fit a modern educational approach and that he had stressed the importance of having smaller schools with a community-feel, which led to better learning and improved behaviour.

“We hope that such an approach is strengthened for the benefit of all concerned because education is not just instruction for examinations but also educating for life,” the union said.