Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1250967
PHOTO BY JAMES BIANCHI 8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 MAY 2020 INTERVIEW At the end of March, govern- ment announced that schools will remain closed until the end of June – suggesting that (all other things remaining equal) they will re-open as usual next September. Do you agree with this as a tentative target? Is it realistic to expect a return to normality in just four months? Schools will need to adapt to a new normal, like everything else; but I would think that Septem- ber is a realistic target towards which projections and plans should be directed – although any reopening ultimately de- pends on the direction given by Public Health officials. Obviously, the measures and precautions that ought to be tak- en must, first and foremost, be geared towards safeguarding the health of all students and educa- tors. And there should first be a campaign to inform the general public, especially students, edu- cators and parents. These include physical meas- ures (for instance, availability of hand-sanitizers at entry points to schools and classrooms; en- suring that all sanitary facilities are constantly kept clean; plac- ing desks apart in classrooms, etc.), measures which involve personnel (young children would need constant assistance to make sure that they wash their hands regularly; supervi- sion is needed during breaks to avoid having students as- sembling in large groups, etc.) and others which regard school management in general. If, for example, classes are to be divided into smaller groups, this would impact time-tables and teacher recruitment. Differ- ent break-times, so as to avoid having overcrowding in outdoor spaces, require time-tabling arrangements; while possible re-organisation of school days requires liaising with teachers, unions, parents, companies that provide transport, and so on. This means that there is much planning that needs to be done, and the involvement of stake- holders from all sectors is cru- cial. Furthermore, as already being seen in some European countries, when schools reo- pen they ought to be monitored closely and constantly to detect any possible outbreaks as soon as possible. May I add that September is al- so the 'target' month for MAT- SEC exams, so preparations need to be made for this too. Meanwhile, the pandemic has forced radical changes on the educational sector: including the introduction of e-learning. Given that the technological tools for this transition were all already in place... was this a case of schools having been caught unprepared for the cri- sis? Shouldn't we have been adapting to new technologies anyway, regardless of the COV- ID-19 pandemic? The technological tools were in place in some contexts, but less so in others. The Church school sector, to my knowledge, was still in the process of upgrading hardware, and was in discus- sions with the Ministry when schools were forced to close in March. So whether schools were un- prepared, and to what extent, is debatable and varies greatly. Ultimately, however, technolo- gy is a tool that may be used by teachers, just like so many other pedagogical tools. The effective use of technological tools can contribute to learning, even in normal circumstances. But, ultimately, teachers are kingpins – that is why, as a country, we need to invest much more in this profession, give teachers the trust and respect they deserve and provide them with opportunities for contin- uing professional development, with adequate incentives. In fact, at a recent conference you argued that, while teachers generally 'rose to the occasion', there is still need for more in- vestment in human resources in education (as opposed to structural investment). Was this comment specifically about the situation now, or do you feel that the teaching pro- fession remains undervalued generally? We need to appreciate teach- ers' work much more. It is enough to read comments on the social media and in the press, whenever there are issues regarding education, to realise that the general public has a very limited knowledge of the impor- tance of this profession. Maybe today, as a side-effect of this pandemic, we are all realis- ing how important teachers are in our society, and how much children miss their schools, their teachers and other educators. So unfortunately, yes, the teaching profession is underval- ued. And maybe some do not re- alise that this has serious long- term consequences that could affect all sectors, including the economy. May I add that it is not only important to value teachers, but also to understand the impor- tance of quality education that caters for the needs of groups of different socio-economic back- grounds. Unless you form, maintain and strengthen a robust teaching profession, aware of both the theoretical and practical com- ponents of education, this will just remain an illusion. Apart from salary/working conditions, what sort of invest- ment, specifically, do you feel is lacking locally? First of all, I must stress that adequate salaries and good working conditions – and en- suring that these match the re- sponsibility teaching entails – are important. Many teachers today, as also evidenced in some local studies, find it hard to cope because they are stressed, and because they feel that they are not given the respect they de- serve. Often, to put it plainly, they are not treated as professionals. While they are consulted from time to time, the feeling persists that they are then expected to implement reforms which they do not own. Many complain of reform-fatigue. And I wish to be clear that this is a problem which is deeply-rooted, and which goes back many, many years in our country, but which we still have COVID-19 has forced us to appreciate the importance of the teaching profession. But former Faculty of Education dean Prof. SANDRO CARUANA argues that teachers remain sadly undervalued in Malta We need to value teachers Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt