Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1170309
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 SEPTEMBER 2019 KARL AZZOPARDI MALTESE primary and sec- ondary school students are be- ing left behind in EU-funded exchange programmes when compared to the EU average, according to the teachers' un- ion. This contrasts with the coun- try's high participation rate in Erasmus+ projects at post-sec- ondary and University level. With an average of about one out of every 20 university level students choosing to enrol in Erasmus projects, the same can- not be said about their much younger peers. Malta Union of Teachers Pres- ident Marco Bonnici points his finger at the multiple hurdles primary school teachers face when enrolling with Erasmus programmes. One of the most cited issues according to Bonnici is the ex- tra effort required by the teach- ers in order to apply for the pro- jects. "Applying requires a lot of clerical bureaucracy, and a teacher who has to plan for les- sons and prepare for the weeks ahead, cannot cope with more bureaucracy," Bonnici said. Bonnici also said that for the extra work carried out by those who choose to enrol, no extra payment is granted, leading to a lack of motivation from the educators' side. "With all the funding that is involved in the project, the teachers aren't awarded with a cent of over time," he said. The biggest concerns are raised by primary school teach- ers, who unlike secondary edu- cators, are responsible for a sin- gle class throughout the whole year. The MUT president also men- tioned the extra responsibility that comes with taking primary level students abroad. "The risk undertaken by teachers who choose to travel with six and seven-year olds for example, is far greater than that of secondary school teachers, and not everyone is prepared to shoulder that responsibility," he said. He also blamed the authori- ties for not providing support to educators. "How can you expect them to go beyond their call of duty if all they face are challenges?" Bon- nici said. However, the European Un- ion Programmes Agency (EU- PA) CEO, Joseph Schembri disagreed with Bonnici's assess- ment. Schembri said the agency had experienced "a drastic rise in applications in the last three years". "At least 369 students from primary and secondary schools benefitted from Erasmus+ pro- jects between 2014-2017. This data emanates from schools which applied directly with the European Union Programmes Agency, which has only re- cently been placed under the responsibility of the Parliamen- tary Secretariat responsible for European Funds," Schembri said. The EUPA CEO also said that other schools across Malta and Gozo apply as 'partners only' in other international schools through other Erasmus agen- cies. "Their participation is not ac- counted for in this statistic as the secretariat does not have di- rect access to this data," he said. Asked if the agency had no- ticed any trend of teachers re- fusing to apply due to the ad- ditional burdens, Schembri disagreed. "Over 970 educators have participated in EU-funded pro- jects between 2014 and 2017 and there is no issue in terms of teachers' willingness to partici- pate in Erasmus+," he said. He said that in order for the situation to continue to im- prove, reforms by the agency will be announced in the up- coming budget, in efforts to position Malta for the next EU budget, which aims to double the funding of Erasmus projects. Nationalist MEP candidate Peter Agius, made reference to the issue in a Facebook post last week. Agius said that when speaking to educators, many expressed their unwillingness to apply for these EU-funded projects be- cause they found no support. "In other countries, schools use the Erasmus programme to widen their students' horizons, we are being left behind, and to catch up with the trend, we need our teachers," Agius said. NEWS Teachers cite lack of support for reluctance on Erasmus exchanges "Applying for Erasmus requires a lot of clerical bureaucracy, and a teacher who has to plan for lessons and prepare for the weeks ahead, cannot cope with more bureaucracy", says MUT boss Marco Bonnici De Gaetano – On September 20, MAURICE, aged 70, passed peacefully away, surrounded by his family, comforted by the rites of the Holy Church. He leaves to mourn his great loss his wife Carmen, his children Alistair and Oliver and those close to them, his brother-in- law Godfrey, his mother Mary, his brother Edward and his wife Grace, nephews, many relatives and friends. The funeral will be held at Balzan parish church on Wednesday, September 25 at 8.30am, followed by intern- ment in the family grave at Addolorata Cemetery. Grant him, O Lord, eternal rest. OBITUARY