Shadow Education Minister Justin Schembri has put forward an intriguing proposal to revamp the education system by detaching teachers from the civil service entirely.

The proposal, which he initially published in In-Nazzjon, would see teachers placed under the responsibility of a new entity.

This would detach them from the limitations of the civil service salary scale system, where salaries are pegged and pay rises risk frustrating government workers on the same scale.

While civil servants receive allowances to effectively bolster their salaries, Schembri warned that not all banks take allowances into consideration when deciding on loans.

A similar proposal was put forward by the Malta Union of Teachers a few years ago but never materialised, and the MP now wants to place it back on the agenda.

He also called for a discussion on the possibility of moving towards a single sectorial agreement for all teachers in public, church, and private schools and higher education institutes, warning that the current system is too fragmented and risks creating unfair discrepancies.

Another proposal would see a new national entity created to focus on long-term education strategies, therefore ensuring a sense of continuity through successive governments and education ministers.

“We must seriously think about these proposals. If we don’t figure out how to update our system, we wont evolve enough.”

Do you agree with this proposal?