Popular school head Mario Mallia was not fired because of his inclusivity policies but because he was refusing to cooperate with his superiors and be accountable to them, St Albert the Great College rector Fr Aaron Zahra has said.
“Inclusivity has nothing to do with his dismissal. Our school has been inclusive since its inception decades ago and we promote it and encourage it,” Zahra told Times of Malta.
“But Mallia created policies, set up an entire subject and a cooperative, in our name, in our premises, without ever discussing anything with us.
“It’s not that we want to have absolute authority over what he does, as some people might have been led to think. But he works at a school that is owned and run by a religious order, and he must be accountable to its structures.
“That is all we ever asked – to be included in the school’s decision-making – but he never included us in his decisions. It seems like Mallia was inclusive for everyone, except us.”
Zahra, a Dominican friar and the chairman of a recently appointed board that presides over the school, broke his silence in an interview with Times of Malta after spending some days in hospital due to health complications.
Mallia, who had served as headmaster of St Albert the Great College for 16 years, was fired over insubordination last month.
As college rector, Zahra was the man who sent an e-mail to parents two weeks ago informing them of Mallia’s dismissal – a move that sparked controversy and prompted the Malta Union of Teachers, school teachers and parents to take to the streets and social media in protest.
Mallia said he had been fired after pushing for measures to improve inclusivity for students of different genders and beliefs.
But Zahra said that Mallia was, in fact, reluctant to discuss policies with a board that the Dominican Province set up last September to ensure accountability across the Province’s educational mission.
The board consists of three friars and three lay professionals, who are qualified in social science, philosophy, education, human resources, social policy, inclusion and theology.
Inclusivity has nothing to do with his dismissal. Our school has been inclusive since its inception decades ago and we promote it and encourage it
It was part of a restructuring effort to broaden the province’s educational mission. It was set up when the province had just opened a half-a-million-euro kindergarten facility in Fgura and as it plans to relocate the Valletta school to Għaxaq.
Zahra said that during the process, the province would always consult Mallia on every decision.
“The provincial friar consulted him on the ideas for our educational mission and Mallia was sent a draft of the board statute, to which he replied with recommendations,” Zahra said.
“And when, five years ago, I was ordained a priest and the provincial friar wanted to prepare me to become college rector by sending me to study abroad, he sent me to the University that Mallia recommended to him.
Zahra said this sort of communication was not reciprocal and the province would learn of initiatives and policies after Mallia had already put them in place.
“Why was he so uncomfortable to involve us in decisions surrounding the school subject MEET, for instance?”
Zahra said that after several warnings and attempts to get him to cooperate, the province had no option but to dismiss him.
“Our final written warning gave him enough time to get in line with what the board wants and made it clear that if he intended to persist in his refusal to cooperate, his employment might be terminated. He was warned,” Zahra said.
“So really, who chose to terminate Mario Mallia’s employment? The province? Or Mario Mallia himself?”
Zahra acknowledged Mallia’s extraordinary competence as an educator and headmaster. He said Mallia knew how to do his job very well and during meetings with Mallia, the province would acknowledge his love for the school.
Zahra said the Dominican Order was also uncomfortable with Mallia’s position as deputy leader of ADPD, a party which has been openly in favour of the decriminalisation of abortion.
“I am no one to tell ADPD what it should do. It can adopt whichever policy it wants. But I am uncomfortable with having a headmaster in a school that is run by our province, who is also the second-in-command of a political party that rallies in favour of abortion,” Zahra said, adding that the province only learned that Mallia was contesting the election from the media.
“He has every right to do it, but at least we expected to be informed.”
In the midst of the controversy, Archbishop Charles Scicluna offered to mediate between the parties.
Province does not fall within Archdiocese
Sources close to the Curia said the Archbishop met with Mallia last week and “they had a very friendly exchange”.
But Scicluna is much less influential than some might think, because the school is not owned by the Church per se, but by the Dominican Order, and is part of the Maltese Dominican Province, which does not fall under the Maltese Archdiocese.
This means that the Dominicans virtually have full autonomy over their school and the sources said that while the Archbishop “is disappointed at the way things have turned out, he cannot interfere” with their decisions.
Zahra said he will continue to serve as acting head until a replacement is found and he thanked the administration, cleaning and maintenance staff of the school for working tirelessly through summer to ensure the school is able to open its doors normally for students and teachers in September and offer the best service it possibly can.