The teachers' union and the government on Thursday signed a new collective agreement for staff at the Institute For Education.

After the signing, the Education Minister told the media that a separate collective agreement for state and Church school educators was still being discussed.

It is set to be concluded "in the coming weeks".

Meanwhile, on Thursday Malta Union of Teachers' president Marco Bonnici said the collective agreement for the staff at the institute will provide job stability for those working at the teachers' training school. 

"As with any new agreement, the financial package and conditions have improved," he said.

Institute for Education CEO Joanne Grima said 360 students at the institute are currently reading for a bachelor's or a master's degree.

Set up in 2015, the institute provides part-time courses for teachers who want to specialise in some subject or want to take on the role of a head of school. Some of the students have meanwhile specialised in some other field unrelated to education but aspire to become teachers.

Fielding questions from the media, Education Minister Clifton Grima said negotiations on the conditions and pay of state and Church school educators - currently dictated by an agreement that expired in December 2022 have "moved forward".

An agreement is expected in the coming weeks, he said.

"There has been a lot of progress and what is clear is that those leading negotiations love the education sector," he said.

In November, teachers across the island had gone on strike over what Bonnici called an "insulting" pay package proposal.