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MALTATODAY 17 May 2020

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4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MAY 2020 CORONAVIRUS CRISIS Jobsplus 212/2020 - Reference Number BCAHR 010/2020 POLICY RESEARCH OFFICERS CAREER OPPORTUNITY All applications should be submitted by noon on Wednesday, 20th May 2020 For more information you may visit our website; bca.org.mt/careers MATTHEW AGIUS PROF. Sandro Caruana, a for- mer dean of the University of Malta's Faculty of Education, has praised Malta's teachers for rising to the occasion of COV- ID-19, but warned there was not much time left to address the "great limitations" of e-learning. Caruana yesterday addressed a PN conference on the future of education in the post-pandemic landscape. It was important to invest in structures and equipment, Caru- ana said, but more than that to invest in teachers, their training and continuous professional de- velopment. "Things change and often do so radically, but Malta's teachers rose to the occasion. Teachers were required to change their lesson plans, learn how to use new software and adapt their teaching methods to e-learning in under a week." They also often had to perform their professional duties while taking care of their families, he said. "[On e-learning] we are using a distance-learning solution which is synchronic, that is, according to a time-table. But e-learning is not just this. There are many other methods, which have not been used fully." Unblended e-learning has great limitations, he said, amongst them the lack of interaction with other children and the fact that it depends on motivating chil- dren to be part of the lesson. "There is also the problem of ab- senteeism… The longer distance learning is used, the burdens will outweigh the benefits. We need to move on to the next phase." Education Minister Owen Bonnici recently announced a think tank made up of experts in various fields, to come up with proposals on the future of edu- cation by 14 September. Bonnici said the think-tank is being instructed to apply "blue sky thinking" and brainstorm ideas without considering the barriers of financial constraints. Prof. Caruana and other speak- ers at the conference expressed disappointment at the fact that parents and teaching represent- atives were excluded from the think-tank. "God forbid this think-tank works like the pro- cess from 2016 for the new law on education. It passed through parliament recently but we hav- en't heard anything about it be- ing implemented," he said. He pointed out that there are already guidelines on the re- opening of schools, issued by Unicef. "In April it published an international framework and it is available on the internet. It is a good starting point, we don't need to reinvent the wheel." "We don't have a lot of time. September is near. This scho- lastic year has almost finished. Teachers worked miracles to finish the year well. We need good solutions for next year. Not opening of schools necessarily, but how they will be opened... We need a concrete plan as to what is possible and how it is to be implemented," he said. The future is here and we must think of it for the good of the children who are very frustrated, said the professor. According to a recent study, 97% of children said they prefer school to e- learning, he said. "For their sake we must act and act quickly." Education expert Prof. Sandro Caruana's stark warning on preparing now for 2020-2021 scholastic year Schools: 'We must act quickly, for our children's sake' Prof. Sandro Caruana SIX tourists were arrested after allegedly attacking police of- ficers enforcing social distancing laws. The Spanish tourists, three men and three women, were found Friday night at around 10pm in front of a bar in Spinola in breach of a legal notice prohibiting gath- erings of more than four persons, as part of measures to stop the spread of COVID-19. The police received information that the waterfront bar was open and that a number of people were gathering outside as well as inside the premises. Officers went to the scene and found a number of persons there in breach of legal notices. While they were being spoken to and having their details taken, the group of six attacked the police. Two men aged 35 and 24 were arrested for assaulting a police constable, and a 29-year-old man was arrested for failing to cooper- ate with the police. A 36-year-old woman was ar- rested after pushing a police sergeant, breaking the sergeant's glasses and damaging a police ra- dio. One 21-year-old woman was arrested after banging on a police car and a 23 year-old woman was arrested after allegedly pushing a police officer. The Rapid Intervention Unit was dispatched to assist and all the arrested persons were taken to the St. Julian's police station and later, the police headquar- ters, where they continued to be aggressive towards the police. The police also questioned the owners of the establishment, where they discovered that it did not have a permit to operate. Six brawl with police in COVID arrests

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