AD in favour of proposed education reform

The government's proposal to reform the local education system through the introduction of network colleges has received Alternattiva Demokratika's stamp of approval.

AD education spokesman Mario Mallia commended the decision to distinguish between the regulatory and operational role of the Education Division.

Last month the Education Ministry launched an extensive revamp of the education system, which includes the grouping of state primary schools, area secondary schools and junior lyceums into autonomous regional colleges, the first three of which - Cottonera, Karwija and Gozo - will start functioning next month.

Mr Mallia said AD has always been in favour of promoting such a set-up, and in particular granting greater autonomy to schools, adding that the needs on a school level are best known by the school itself.

"Granting schools greater autonomy is a necessary precondition for school improvement because it takes into consideration the individual circumstances of its students and the community it serves."

Mr Mallia said it was through networking that schools could cross-fertilise through ideas and practices and pool resources while reducing the upheaval of students created by "artificial jerks" in transition from one school to another.

He said the splitting of the Education Division structure into two bodies was a positive proposal.

He said, however, the party cautions against the risks of reinventing an overburdening bureaucracy which would stifle the "much needed flexibility, autonomy and innovation" which the system was trying to address.

Mr Mallia said it was more appropriate for the chief executives of the Education Services Directorate and the Malta Education Directorate to be chosen through alternative means than by the Education Minister.

The AD spokesman said the proposals were positive because they sought to lessen the distinction between Junior Lyceums and Area Secondary Schools.