1 comment.No one exerted any undue pressure on Gozo teaching staff – DES
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With reference to the allegations made by the Malta Union of Teachers regarding alleged ‘undue pressure in Ninu Cremona Gozo College Secondary,’ the Directorate for Educational Services would like to clarify facts about the meeting held at the school.
The Head of School categorically denies exerting undue pressure on his staff to attend a meeting. The school has 170 students who need special examination arrangements due to various learning difficulties.
The school administration believed that after the number of queries raised by teachers, learning support assistants and parents regarding these special arrangements of the students under their care, it was imperative to clarify certain issues related to these arrangements which always affect the students themselves.
The teachers and Learning Support Assistants asked several important questions about the special examination arrangements and the type of help these students required.
In view of the substantial number of members of staff involved, an urgent meeting, that was exclusively about the welfare and well-being of the students during the forth-coming exams, was called.
The meeting started at about 1.10pm and ended at 1.45pm. Attendance was on a voluntary basis. The majority of teachers and LSAs attended. In fact only two members of staff, one of them being the MUT representative, did not attend. No pressure at all was exerted by the Head of School or Assistant Heads.
It is important to note that the meeting was highly appreciated by and beneficial to all the staff and students involved.
In my opinion if somebody is complaining about this meeting it shows their unfitness for their job. There is a problem which should be solved. The head of school called together the staff for a meeting. He has done the best he could. What is the problem? Was it too long? (35 minutes for the children?!) It was not in the evening, it was not on the weekend! You should go to teach in other countries, where all the meetings (staff meetings, parents days are afternoon or evenings).
If the school has 170 students with various learning difficulties, concomitant of it you have a lot of special problems. It is a pedagogical challenge! It is not enough only to write magnificent things int he Mission statement, all the teachers have to do their best. The welfare of the students is the first you should keep in view!
I think some teachers should show more responsibility for their work and for children itself, to teach them at the school, not on the private lessons.
(I myself am a teacher and I was assistant head for 10 years, so I have some experiences in Hungary, Germany and Switzerland, so I can compare the situation with other countries. We have to work much more and much harder.)