The first meeting of the working group, set up by the Ministry for Education and Employment in light of the current closure of all schools, was held today. The group's remit is to explore methods of online teaching during this period, as well as to explore the impact of the present situation on the curriculum.
The group is made up of representatives from the three sectors: state, church and independent schools, together with the Malta Union of Teachers.
During the meeting, the working group agreed that, during these exceptional circumstances, it has full faith in the professionalism, dedication and commitment of educators towards their learners. In fact, members of the working group gave a number of examples where educators have already started sending material online to their students to ensure that they can continue with their studies during this period. The aim of the working group is to build on this, and to provide additional support to educators, students and parents in this regard.
The group agreed on two initiatives:
- Schools belonging to the three sectors will be using their own IT systems to support online learning. The Ministry for Education and Employment will be creating a Resources page on its curricular website www.curriculum.gov.mt,where resources and material for each Year group and each subject will be made available and freely accessible to all. The respective Directorate will be uploading relevant curriculum material. The working group is also inviting educators from all three sectors who would like to upload relevant material to do so in this common repository as well as on their schools' IT systems. This page will be available to all students across the island online as from next Monday, 16th March 2020. The Ministry for Education and Employment will be communicating the manner in which educators can upload educational material through a communication directly to educators early next week. The working group encourages all educators to contribute in making strong repositories of educational material for their students and to send an important message to all that, by working together, we can overcome this challenging time for our students and indeed for our country.
- The working group also agreed that educators are being encouraged to use online means to provide educational material and resources to students so that they can continue working during this period. Educators are encouraged to continue using the digital online methods they may be already using in their respective schools. Educators may request support to enable them to do so, either through their respective schools, or through a dedicated support service the Ministry for Education and Employment will be setting up through its Directorate for Digital Literacy. The Ministry for Education and Employment will be communicating directly with educators about this support service early next week. The working group has full confidence that educators will use these digital tools for the benefit of their students.
The working group appeals to all parents, guardians and students to realise the seriousness of the present challenge being faced by the country, and to show a strong sense of responsibility by staying at home during this period. The resources being made available by teachers in schools across sectors, the online communication with students and the possibility of more time to work on important skills such as reading, will help students continue with their education during this period. As representatives of all state, church and independent schools, together with the Malta Union of Teachers, the working group is committed to work together to support educators, parents and students to face and overcome this challenging time.
The working group will be meeting regularly next week in order to address other issues related to the curricular outcomes for this year and how, in practice, schools can support students who are home-bound due to the closure of schools.
