Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1475004
14 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 JULY 2022 NEWS EDUCATORS at Saint Albert the Great College were shocked when they learnt in June that a project to foster inclusion among students was being stopped. The decision to halt the project was taken by a relatively new school board set up by rector Fr Aaron Zahra. The project dubbed MEET, celebrated encounters between students from different ethnic, class, and religious backgrounds represented at the school. But a complaint to the Curia by someone unknown to the teach- ers appears to have been enough for the board to stop this project in its tracks. I meet Andrew Camilleri and Lisa Farrugia, the educators be- hind MEET. They are as baffled as I am over the decision to stop the project. "We were not even told what the complaint was about," they tell me. What they know is that it was made by someone who is not even a student or teacher in the school. "We simply expect trust and respect for our professional in- tegrity, two things which were not shown in the board's ac- tions," they say. The decision to pull the plug on MEET was part of a chain of events that eventually led to the sacking of Mario Mallia from school headmaster, a decision which saddened and angered educators like Andrew and Lisa. The pair wholeheartedly be- lieve in and practice the college's vision of inclusion, which was championed by Mallia. "What hurt us most was that the decision to stop the pro- gramme was communicated to us by a letter, the contents of which were not even discussed with us," they tell me. They also contend that the rea- sons given for stopping the pro- ject, namely that the rector was not informed of its existence prior to its introduction, and that its objectives were being met in other subjects, "do not hold water". Not only had the programme been planned in minuted meet- ings long before the appoint- ment of the new board, but it was also in line with the national curriculum whose main targets include cross-curricular objec- tives. The national curriculum encourages competencies such as social skills and critical think- ing that do not pertain to the content of one or more subjects, but that can be taught in differ- ent ways. Inspired by Pope Francis MEET also reflects the catho- lic school's ethos, Andrew and Lisa tell me. "The starting point of the school's ethos is that we 'accept everyone' and its aim is to 'read and change the world'." But they add that the school ethos and MEET are inspired by Pope Francis, who in 2016 called for a "culture of encounter". "If I do not look, — seeing is not enough, no: look — if I do not stop, if I do not look, if I do not touch, if I do not speak, I cannot create an encounter and I cannot help to create a culture of encounter," Pope Francis had said. But what exactly is MEET? It is all about students meeting and sharing experiences in a safe space where teachers facilitate a discussion on a variety of topics related to their identity. "There is no indoctrination in this. Christians remain Chris- tians, Muslims remain Muslims, Hindus remain Hindus… no attempt is made to change any- one's beliefs. It is the sheer fact that people talk to each other and learn to understand each other that is being explored and celebrated," Lisa explains. 'Allah hu akbar' in context Moreover, the new subject, which is a work in progress, is not a substitute for religious education. Andrew, one of the brains behind the new subject, also teaches religion at school. Andrew explains that what led him to think about the need for cultural encounters was an experience in his own religion class, which he keeps open to everyone who wants to attend, including non-Catholics. He recalls an episode in which a Muslim student had prepared a presentation in which he shared food consumed during Rama- dan as well as a prayer which included the phrase 'Allah hu akbar'. Upon hearing the words, the Muslim student's best friend realised that what his friend was talking about was not related to terrorism but something rather holy. Lisa also recalls incidents like children touting Muslim immi- grants with slices of ham, fur- ther underlining the need for mutual understanding. MEET was never meant to be a substitute for religious in- struction for students who are exempted from religion lessons because they hail from other religious denominations, they insist. "We have created a space where children who are Catho- lics, atheists, Muslims or Hindu can talk about their identities and also learn about, and en- gage, with the identities of oth- ers," says Andrew. Lisa points out that students are also learning about the cul- ture of their best friends. "Ulti- mately the greatest satisfaction in all this is the realisation by students that having people from different religions and backgrounds in class is in itself a positive experience." MEET is not serving as a sub- stitute for ethics either, a subject taught in public schools to stu- dents who opt out of religion. "While in ethics the idea is to focus on a secular approach to ethical choices, our aim is to recognise and understand diver- sity, amongst others," the educa- tors say. I point out that some parents may actually be sending their children to a Catholic school to ensure a solid Catholic upbring- ing. The two educators reply that children also attend school to learn how to relate with others in the wider society. "Students are already encoun- tering different cultures in their school. They also meet others in the street. And when they grow up, students will be working with people with different iden- tities. Confronting these reali- James Debono meets Andrew Camilleri and Lisa Farrugia, the educators behind a project that fostered dialogue between students from different social and religious backgrounds at St Albert College, and remains baff led why the subject was unceremoniously stopped by the Dominican Order St Albert teachers defend inclusion project stopped by school board JAMES DEBONO