Zammit Dimech raises concerns of Maltese educators in EU Report on modernisation of education

schools can play a vital role to foster democratic values

“We need to attract a higher number of candidates to the teaching profession through specific measures and initiatives such as by improving their remuneration and ensuring their safety and protection. This will ensure supply of high quality professional educators with pedagogical competencies.” MEP Zammit Dimech made these remarks following a vote taken in the Committee on Education adopting a report on modernisation of education in the EU. Zammit Dimech tabled several amendments to reflect views of Maltese stakeholders. Over the past weeks Zammit Dimech met representatives of child care centres, teachers, unions, academics, students and parents to obtain their feedback on various educational aspects. 

With respect to teachers, he stressed on the importance of continuous pedagogical training for teachers as a mean to offer practical solutions for the challenges teachers encounter in their work at classroom level. He also called for further opportunities for teachers to participate in international teacher exchanges to facilitate sharing of best practices.

He emphasis on the need to involve all stakeholders including parents in development of educational policy. Zammit Dimech also called for the facilitation of quality inclusive education for persons disabilities to ensure that they can live an independent life and be fully integrated in society as active participants and real contributors.

Zammit Dimech added that schools can play a vital role to foster critical and creative thinking and to promote democratic values and active citizenship. He underlined that the acquisition of STEM, digital competence, languages competences, entrepreneurship skills, creativity, critical thinking and team-work was fundamental. He also noted that modern curricula should enhance personal skills, health-consciousness and instil future-oriented life management competence. Moreover, Zammit Dimech called for further mobility programmes to foster international learning culture.

In his proposals, Zammit Dimech also called for smoother transitions between different levels of education, including that between Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Higher Education and for further cooperation between higher education and the industry.

During meetings with stakeholders various existing concerns which need to be tackled were raised including the need to ensure quality in childcare centres and the need to have enough LSAs (Learning Support Assistants) in classes with students with different abilities. Zammit Dimech called on the government to take action in this regard.