No more red tape on student-teachers – union

The Malta Union of Teachers has raised doubts over recommendations for a stricter vetting of students enrolling in courses that could lead to employment in schools, suggested in a White Paper by the Lisa Maria Foundation and the education ministry.

“Although the MUT agrees with rigorous screening procedures at all times, it is against any further bureaucratic burdens placed on educators and on a system already weighed down by red tape,” the union told MaltaToday.

The stricter vetting recommendation is part of 17 recommendations presented by the Lisa Maria Foundation and the education ministry in a White Paper targeting more effective recruitment and selection procedures for people working with minors.

The foundation was set up after the death of student Lisa Marie Zahra, 15, after whom it is named. Erin Tanti, Lisa Marie’s drama teacher, stands charged with her murder and assisted suicide in a botched suicide pact that took place on 19 March, 2014 at Dingli Cliffs. 

“We expect that such screening is made of all professionals in contact with minors and not just teachers, who seem to be singled out unfairly,” the union added.

University students enrolling in a teaching course usually take up a Bachelor’s degree in education, although graduates in the Arts also tend to drift into teaching, after completing a post-graduate certificate in education. 

Noting how bureaucratic such systems would be, the MUT said it was “totally against treating professional educators as suspicious,” and felt that these procedures would imply “educators have to prove themselves clean”.

“Such an attitude is totally unheard of in all professions and the union expects the government to respect the professional status of all educators in a concrete manner rather than invent humiliating processes,” a spokesman said.

The union said that although improvements are welcome, structures were already in place especially in terms of warranting, ethics, boards of discipline and audits at educational institutions.

“There is undoubtedly, a need to invest in more resources for the purposes of enforcement and quality assurance. As we have previously suggested, more measures need to be in place to ensure that all persons working with children have a professional warrant or licence,” the union added.

More vetting required

The White Paper’s recommendations single out international university guidelines that could be used as models for the local system. Among the various methods used in foreign universities, the main trend is for both a criminal conduct, and permission for the university to access Sex Offenders’ lists. 

A look at the University of Malta guidelines shows that applicants of any education course are required to present the university administration with a police conduct, but this, according to the new recommendations is not enough.

“It is common practice for foreign universities to make additional conditions of admission to courses where adults may come into contact with minors, both during the course itself and upon graduation,” the document specifies.

The University of Salford (Manchester) vetting procedure

Salford vets admissions for prospective students whose study, placement or work experience involves regulated activity relating to children.

Vetting includes identity checks, criminal conviction declarations, countersignature of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) application, satisfactory DBS clearance and barred list checks, and a police conduct certificate.

An admissions panel analyses such candidates requiring DBS clearance according to the nature and gravity of offences they have committed, the age at the time of the offence, length of time since the offence, number of offences, any pattern of offences, severity of the sentence, relevance of offence to profession, the applicant’s response to offence and rehabilitation, and public trust.

Contacted by this newspaper the University of Malta said that different faculties have long had diverse vetting processes in place.

“Following the issuing of the White Paper, academic members of staff will have the opportunity to discuss the various points and evaluate the suggestions being made,” director of communications Patricia Camilleri said. 

The MUT agreed with some of the other recommendations in the document, like the suggestion of simplifying legislation connected to the offenders’ register and ensuring employers have access to the Sex Offenders’ list.

“We have been putting forward various suggestions to protect minors who have severe problems at their home or at their community for many years now,” the union pointed out.

“Hopefully, this legislation includes moves to tackle child abuse at home and within the communities that may range from neglect to sex abuse and everything else in between,” it added, noting that to date the Children’s Act was still not in place.

“While the majority of parents act responsibly towards their children, there is a minority of irresponsible parents coming from all walks of life and social backgrounds, that are ruining their children’s lives and little is being done to protect these children,” the union said.