Business enterprises prosper when they put their customers first. The mantra ‘the customer comes first’ must also be adopted by the public sector that provides services to the community, often under monopolistic conditions. In education, students are the ultimate customers of the system. Their future well-being usually depends on the quality of services they receive in educational institutions in their formative years.
The education authorities are once again sinking into an industrial relations quagmire. This time, the failure to conclude a collective agreement for lecturers of MCAST after more than two years of negotiations badly affects students at the beginning of the scholastic year. Unsurprisingly, students felt the need to protest.
Had the education system been a private enterprise, it would probably face market failure as the trust of its customers would be weakened due to ineffective management. The Malta Union of Teachers understandably wants to optimise the working conditions of its members, especially concerning their financial packages. The teaching profession is not appreciated enough, and this often results in low morale among teachers and, even worse, poor achievement levels among students.
The elusive root and branch education reform is among policymakers’ lowest priorities. They see it as a daunting task unlikely to produce short-term results. Still, political expediency should never stall these reforms.
Reforms must address how educators should be compensated and also embed performance metrics to ensure educators are rewarded according to their impact on students’ lives. This complex process is doable if all stakeholders, including policymakers, unions, students, parents and other stakeholders, are roped in the reform process.
MCAST is, so far, the only vocational education institution in the country. Its students deserve the best treatment in an environment free of industrial strife and supported by adequate resources to ensure the best achievement outcome for every student.
Many understandably argue that to put students first, policymakers must ensure that the teaching profession is motivated to outperform and optimise students’ education experience.
Policymakers must start by acknowledging that teaching is often incredibly complex, intellectually demanding, and physically and emotionally exhausting.
Teachers cannot do their job well if poor working conditions and lack of resources demotivate them. Teachers, for instance, need time to plan, reflect, and learn.
Schools must build schedules around student needs but also pay more attention to teachers’ needs.
In a fast-changing economic scenario, teachers must focus on coherent and engaging professional learning to ensure that students leave their school years well-prepared to face the challenges of the modern workplace. Rather than coming from the top down, structures and initiatives must be designed to support the needs of teachers and students.
Teachers’ unions must be more engaged in discussing with policymakers the issues that affect teachers’ and students’ wellness. For instance, teachers must have excellent materials they can draw on that will serve as the foundation of their teaching.
More than anything else, students must enjoy an educational environment that is stable and free of management chaos and provides opportunities for them to be creative and intellectually stimulated.
They need to be motivated to enjoy their learning process. Students’ social and emotional needs must be addressed by creating an environment that supports their social, emotional, physical and educational needs.
Long-term education reform is arguably the most daunting challenge the country faces. In the shorter term, education policymakers must, at a minimum, put students first by resolving current industrial disputes without further delay.