Li l-edukaturi jkollhom l-ispazju biex jaħdmu u jfasslu l-preżent u l-futur tagħhom huwa l-qofol tal-benesseri ta’ kull ħaddiem.  Għaldaqstant jagħmel sens li l-istrateġija nazzjonali għall-edukazzjoni tiffoka fuq il-benesseri bħala pern importanti mhux biss għall-istudenti imma anke għall-edukaturi. Fl-istess waqt, għadna naraw diversi eżempji fejn l-iskejjel jiġu mġiegħla jiżfnu mad-daqqa ta’ persuni lilhinn mill-iskejjel stess, mingħajr ma jkunu involuti fil-proċess.  Dan sostnewh Sandra Gauci, Chairperson, u Mario Mallia, Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali ta’ ADPD-The Green Party dalgħodu.  Il-kelliema sostnew li l-ħakma ta’ kontroll tal-Ministeru baqgħet toħnoq dan l-ispazju li qed jirriżulta f’demotivazzjoni u rassenjazzjoni ta’ ħafna edukaturi.  L-inizjattiva tal-Ministeru biex jitqassam il-ħut fl-iskejjel huwa biss sintomu fost ħafna oħrajn ta’ dan.  Xi ħadd fil-Ministeru iddeċieda li l-iskejjel jitqassmilhom il-ħut kull nhar ta’ Ġimgħa, biex, skont il-Ministru tal-Finanzi, l-istudenti jduqu togħmiet ġodda u tipiċi.  

ADPD-The Green Party issaqsi jekk l-iskejjel ġewx ikkonsultati fuq miżura bħal din li ser tkompli tgħabbihom b’uġigħ ta’ ras oħra organizzattiva u loġistika b’inizjattiva li m’għandhomx bżonn u ma talbux għaliha.  Kieku l-iskejjel instemgħu, il-Ministeru kien jisma’ li l-flus minfuqa fuq l-inizjattiva, kienu jkunu ħafna iktar utli li jintefqu fuq it-tkattir ta’ timijiet psikosocjali fl-iskejjel biex ilaħħqu mal-bżonnijiet ta’ saħħa mentali u problemi soċjali ta’ numru dejjem jikber ta’ tfal.  Il-kelliema sostnew li kieku l-iskejjel ġew mistoqsija fuq il-bżonnjiet tagħhom, kienu jitkellmu fuq dak li jħabbtu wiċċhom miegħu kuljum u li r-riċerka qed tkompli tafferma, cioe’, ta’ numru ta’ tfal li jmorru l-iskola neqsin minn bżonnijiet bażiċi, saħansitra bil-ġuħ u li għaldaqstant, għandhom bżonn ikbar, ta’ sostenn u kura dejjiem u ffukat.  Kieku l-Ministeru saqsa lill-iskejjel kienu jgħidulu li tagħmel ħafna iktar sens li l-mijiet ta’ eluf ta’ ewro fis-sena li ser jintefqu fuq din l-iskema, jintużaw speċifikament għal dawn it-tfal li qed jitkarrbu għall-għajnuna.  Għal skejjel oħrajn, spiża bħal din setgħet tintuża biex tagħmel tajjeb għal bżonnijiet bażiċi infrastutturali li għadhom nieqsa minnhom fosthom konnettivita` digitali aħjar u soqfa ma jqattrux.  Il-kelliema ta’ ADPD-The Green Party saħqu li kien ikun iktar produttiv kieku dawn il-flus jintefqu fuq proġetti mfassla mill-iskejjel infushom skont il-bżonnjiet speċifiċi tagħhom flok fuq proġetti inutli ddettati minn ħaddiehor.

lr-riżorsi għandhom jitqassmu skont il-bżonn, mhux biex nidhru sbieħ u tinqata’ żigarella ta’ proġetti intli.  “Hekk titlob il-ġustizzja”, tenniet Sandra Gauci. 

Sostniet li l-iskejjel mhumiex il-lok addattat għal riklamar biex l-industrija tal-ħut tkun tista’ tistagħna.   

“Il-prijoritajiet u l-inizjattivi ma jistgħux jibqgħu jiġu ffissati mill-Ministeru mingħajr l-involviment tal-iskejjel.  Edukazzjoni denja ta’ isimha timplika li l-iskejjel infushom għandu jkollhom ħafna iktar spazju biex jagħrfu l-bżonnijiet speċifiċi tal-kuntest tagħhom u jfittxu s-soluzzjonijiet li l-iktar li jagħmlu sens għalihom.”

Mario Mallia saħaq illi inizjattivi bħall-Education Forsight Forum, imniedi mill-Ministeru u li l-għan tiegħu huwa li jagħti spazju ikbar lill-edukaturi fuq x’għandha tkun il-viżjoni edukattiva, jistona fil-kuntest ta’ inizjattivi bħal dawn ripetutament iddettati mill-Ministeru u li jikkunsidraw l-iskejjel bħala spazju għall-aġenda partikolari ta’ xi wħud.

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Schools should be allowed to provide their own solutions to their own needs – ADPD-The Green Party  

For educators to be given their own space to work and plan their present and future is key to the wellbeing of each worker.  Therefore, it makes sense to have a national strategy for education focusing on wellbeing for students and educators as one of its lynchpins.   Notwithstanding, we continue to witness numerous instances where schools are forced to dance to the tune of people who are not involved in schools and their priorities.  This was stated by Sandra Gauci, Chairperson, and Mario Mallia, Deputy Secretary General for ADPD – The Green Party this morning.  The speakers on behalf of ADPD – The Green Party argued that such overarching and unfettered control exerted by the Ministry keeps narrowing the critical space needed for schools to lead their own path.  This is leading to a sense of demotivation and disenchantment of educators who feel they have no choice but to accept the situation.  The latest initiative announced by the Ministry in relation to providing ‘fish lunches’ in schools is one symptom of many.  Somebody  seemed to have come up with the idea of providing fish on Fridays, intended, in the Finance’ Minister’s own words, to have students try out a variety of fish; an initiative schools are expected to accommodate.

ADPD-The Green Party asks whether schools have been consulted on a measure that is set to become an additional, unneeded and uncalled for organisational and logistical headache.  Had schools been consulted beforehand, the Ministry would have been told that the money earmarked for this new initiative would be better spent on beefing up the overloaded psychosocial teams in schools, creaking under the weight of cases they need to deal with, to be able to better cater for the mental health and wellbeing of children, as well as the ever-increasing social issues that children are burdened with.   

The speakers highlighted that had schools had been asked about their needs, they would have gladly shared the challenges that they face on a daily basis, which is also supported by research, namely of children attending school bereft of basic needs, including going to school hungry, and in dire need of care and support.  Some schools would have argued that the thousands of euros allocated for this scheme would have been better spent to address the needs of such children.  For other schools, money allocated for the fish lunch initiative could be easily allocated to basic infrastructural needs, such as better Wi-Fi connectivity and leak-free roofs.  The ADPD-The Green Party speakers emphasised the bottom line that it would have been more productive for the funds to be spent on the specific needs of the schools, identified by the schools themselves, rather than on a project pushed by third parties. 

Sandra Gauci insisted that resources should be allocated according to needs, and not for the sake of ribbon-cutting of dead-end initiatives.  Schools are not the place for the fish industry to expand its customer base.     

“Priorities and initiatives should not be determined by the Ministry, especially if schools are not involved in the decision process.  To have good schools offering a good education, schools must be provided broader freedom to identify their own specific needs and seek solutions that suit these needs.”  

Mario Mallia added that positive initiatives such as the Education Foresight Forum, introduced by the Ministry with the aim of giving voice to educators on educational vision, stand in contradiction with the imposition of such burdensome initiatives to satisfy particular agendas.