In the last two weeks, thousands of students suffered educationally as discussions between the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) and the government failed to lead to a conclusion that would have avoided strike action by educators. Talks are expected to resume and the MUT has, in fact, suspended its actions.

Prime Minister Robert Abela disdainfully warned teachers that militant industrial action will not get them anywhere. His strategy to force aggrieved educators into submission reveals his and his government’s lack of respect for a class of professionals crucial to improving the country’s preparedness, for the current and future economic challenges.

There is no shortage of political rhetoric on the importance of education for the well-being of society. The Labour Party, in its last electoral manifesto, promised to upgrade the status and conditions of educators. Still, for the party in government, promises can be forgotten or ignored once elections are won.

Investing in human capital is one of the few tools that can upgrade the tired economic model of the country. Finance Minister Clyde Caruana correctly argues: “If Malta picks the road of industries that grow the economy well but keeps needing many people to operate, then the country will produce more but property prices will explode even further. If we want Malta to be more productive with fewer people, we need a more skilled workforce.”

There are various reasons for the endemic underperformance of the education system. One reason is that teaching is not treated with dignity like other professions. Working conditions of educators too often fail to motivate many of those responsible for upgrading students’ skills to excel in their work.

Many educators have to resort to moonlighting to cater to their family needs, especially as high inflation impacts living standards. Still, the government seems to have no concern about the rampant abuse of taxpayers’ money. It employs cronies in well-paid positions of trust, even if they contribute little to the common good. It wastes hundreds of millions of euros on failed projects like the privatisation of the administration of three public hospitals.

Caruana’s rhetorical question about why the education system is underperforming after almost 60 years of independence is not difficult to answer. In recent decades, various administrations have not invested enough in talent management. The latest strategy encouraged businesses reliance on imported skilled and unskilled labour – a system that will eventually lead to more social and economic problems.

The government is still in time to announce a reform in the education system, which should be based on the full respect of the teaching profession. The first step should be improving the basic working conditions of educators by granting them a salary that reflects their level of responsibility to our younger generations. Educators must never be reduced to skimping to maintain decent living standards.

Once this precondition is achieved, the reform should focus on attracting the best graduates to the teaching profession and promoting better educational achievement levels through performance-related pay systems. The key performance indicators of every educator must be tailored according to the particular challenges every school faces – a one-size-fits-all approach to promote better achievement levels will never succeed.

The MUT says it has spent 11 months discussing a sectoral agreement with the government. This deadlock must be overcome with the government’s commitment to treat educators with the respect they deserve.