Student teachers who are gearing up to start their practice within Maltese schools have been left reeling after a sudden change to their school placements. 

People studying to become teachers told Lovin Malta that they had been observing their previously assigned school for the last four weeks, making the work done over the last month count for not.

“This is unacceptable as there is so much that needs to be done, apart from taking the time to get to know the students, we need to observe the class, see what topics they have covered so far, prepare our teaching practice file with a school profile, class profile, student profile which takes forever to do. Of course, this is all piled together with our thesis which we need to submit this year, lectures and assignments,” one student told Lovin Malta.

A separate report by The Malta Independent has claimed that 16 students have been forced into the change.

Sources said that the change was enforced to address the worrying shortage among primary school teachers following a dispute with unions over the lack of qualifications of some educators to teach particular classes.

At present, there are at least 32 primary school classes across Malta without a class teacher.

This comes after Malta’s teaching unions, MUT and UPE, issued directives over concerns that many primary schools teachers don’t have the necessary requirements to teach young students – and instead have their expertise based on subjects like drama, PE, and art. 

This, they’ve said, is unacceptable, particularly given the rapid changes to the education curriculum and that it fails to ensure that Maltese youths are receiving proper education, as outlined in the constitution. 

The unions had warned the ministry over the issue before the start of summer and months before the scholastic year began. Still, no action was taken and the same teachers were assigned to their classrooms.

The Ministry is working on a solution.

“The education lost the case, so now peripatetic teachers can continue to do their job and not take over primary classes,” one person told the newsroom.

It remains to be seen whether the initiative will solve the issue.

What do you think of the issue?