Archbishop meets St Albert College educators over Mario Mallia dismissal

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna met with 50 educators from St Albert the Great College in Valletta.

“The Archbishop appealed to the staff so that this difficult moment does not tarnish the beautiful experiences they have been through over the years. He also said that students' educational experience is always a priority,” the Curia said in a statement.

Popular head of school and ADPD politician Mario Mallia was fired from his post at the college by the Dominican Order last week.

Mallia was accused of “usurping the school property” for allowing the Electoral Commission to use the school as a polling station against payment for the school, in a bid to alleviate the hardship of elderly voters having to walk to Fort St Elmo, as well as for “aggravated insubordination” after insisting to have college staff represented on a new board that liaises with the Dominican province of Malta.

The decision saw a number of leading figures and academics slamming the decision on social media.

The dismissal has also seen the Malta Union of Teachers filing court proceedings against St Albert the Great College over Mario Mallia's dismissal as headmaster.

In a reaction to the dismissal, the Archbishop had said that he is open ‘open to a service of mediation if both parties agree to negotiate’.

The Curia said on Tuesday that when meeting with teachers, Archbishop Scicluna expressed the hope that church schools would implement inclusivity programmes in a spirit of dialogue 'with all stakeholders'.

The meeting, held at the Curia, saw staff members speaking about their experiences with Mallia. “They mentioned inclusion initiatives at the school, and expressed the desire for more schools to adopt initiatives that have positive effects on children and in society.”

The meeting was also attended by Father Charles Mallia O.Carm, the Archbishop's Delegate for Catholic Education, and Mr Ian Mifsud, Director for Curriculum and Standards within the Secretariat for Catholic Education.