Together – Owen Bonnici

At a time when Malta is fighting the spread of COVID-19, different ministries have come together to collaborate on initiatives to help in combating this pandemic, but also to ensure that the Health Authorities’ recommendations are being adhered to.

Among these collaborations, the Ministry for Education and Employment teamed up with the Ministry for Home Affairs, National Security and Law Enforcement on a temporary station of the Civil Protection Department at St. Nicholas’ College Dingli Primary School.

After collaboration with the St. Nicholas’ College staff, we were able to turn part of the Dingli Secondary School building into a temporary premises for the Civil Protection Department in light of the unprecedented circumstances.

As part of its contingency plan, the Civil Protection Department has opened several temporary stations around Malta and Gozo, including one in Dingli’s Secondary School. This is being done so as to ensure that there are fewer people on duty at the same time and also to limit the impact should one of the workers become infected with the Coronavirus.

At St Benedict’s College, Kirkop Secondary School we also opened the industrial kitchen facilities normally used for teaching purposes for volunteers to prepare food which is being distributed to the health staff at Mater Dei Hospital and who are working hands on during this period, in light of the hospital’s cafeteria closing.

It is very encouraging to see that these individuals came forward of their own free will in their spare time to do their part in the current circumstances we are facing. The food is being delivered to Mater Dei Hospital staff as a sign of gratitude and appreciation towards their work during this period the country is facing.

I sincerely thank everyone involved, the members of the Civil Protection Department who are doing a brilliant job and also the volunteers preparing the food who have joined other individuals as well as establishments and restaurants offering to deliver food to the staff working at our hospital.

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Following the closure of schools and the initial educational initiatives, the Working

Group set up by the Ministry for Education and Employment continued meeting regularly. The group is made up of representatives from the all three sectors: State, Church and Independent Schools, together with the Malta Union of Teachers. The Group’s remit is to explore methods of online teaching during this period as well as to explore the impact of the present situation on the curriculum.

The Working Group strongly welcomed the commitment, dedication, and hard work being shown by hundreds of educators to provide educational material to their students using online means. The last days have shown the strong and committed professionalism of educators in such challenging times.

Following the announcement that the closure of schools will continue until the end of the Easter holidays, the Working Group is strongly encouraging educators to continue with this process of undertaking online teaching for their students. Educators can ask for support in this directly through their schools or through the dedicated website and helplines: https://digitalliteracy.skola.edu.mt/. An educational resources repository is now freely available on www.curriculum.gov.mt and it is being constantly updated.

The Working Group has recommended several guidelines for educators and for schools.

Educators have been encouraged to find the best way which works for them to communicate with their students. This can be done through the support of their school and/or, if needed, through the support available through https://digitalliteracy.skola.edu.mt/.

They have also been encouraged to collaborate together and with their school to enable the pooling of resources for the benefit of all. www.curriculm.gov.mt is a valuable tool for resources freely available to all educators and in which all teachers can contribute.

The Working Group also recommended that educators should plan their communication and dissemination of educational material in a manner which is realistic for themselves and also for their students. They should attempt to cover the most important parts of their relevant syllabi in a manner which takes into consideration that school closures may cover an extended period. Educators are to be reassured that due consideration is being given that business is not as usual for anyone and that mitigation strategies on the curriculum are being discussed. Nevertheless, they are encouraged to continue pacing the material provided gradually so as not to overwhelm students with too much material at one time and ensure a realistic mode of working in exceptional circumstances from home.

Educators have been encouraged to give feedback to students with regard to any tasks submitted. However, the Group is very much aware that it is not realistic to expect educators to correct all the work which students may carry out at home during this period. A balance should be found by each educator in this regard in which feedback is given to students in a realistic manner. Parents are asked to be supportive in this aspect as well, by trusting in educators’ professionalism and keeping expectations realistic.

The use of model answers and marking schemes, especially for older students, could be a valuable tool to enable students to self-assess their work. In this regard, the examination papers section on

www.curriculum.gov.mt provides a vast amount of past papers and marking schemes for the Annual National Examinations of State Schools. These are freely available for all students from all sectors. A number of schools provide similar resources through their respective portals or online presence. The MATSEC Unit will also be uploading a number of available marking schemes for a number of SEC subject past papers. This resource is available for free together with past papers on the MATSEC website:

https://www.um.edu.mt/matsec/pastpapers/.

Educators should ensure that all communication with students is done within the clear parameters of professional ethics and the safeguarding of students and educators themselves. Clear professional boundaries should always be maintained. The Working Group will continue to support educators in this regard.

With regard to the annual examinations, the Benchmark Assessment, the SEC examinations and the Advanced and Intermediate level Matriculation examinations, the Working Group is discussing possible scenarios which take into consideration the current situation. Discussions are also taking place with the MATSEC Board. At this stage, educators are encouraged to continue supporting their students. Clear direction will be given to educators, students and parents in due course by the respective Awarding Body (either the School, Directorates or MATSEC accordingly).

The Working Group again sincerely thanks all educators for the exemplary manner in which they are rising to the challenge of this unprecedented situation. Our appreciation is extended to the IT staff supporting this sudden wave of online learning, as well as cleaning and maintenance staff who are taking all the necessary measures for schools to welcome back educators and students when this ordeal is over.

During this difficult period, the educational sector is showing exemplary professionalism and commitment by working together to overcome such a challenging situation. The major life lesson from this experience is the personal and collective rediscovery of meaning and priorities. The Working Group is committed to continue working to ensure that this will continue in the coming weeks.