SkolaSajf opening fiasco inquiry finds FES CEO’s position ‘no longer tenable’

A board of inquiry tasked with investigating the causes into the fiasco and the subsequent delayed opening of SkolaSajf and Klabb 3-16 as a direct result of lack of administrative responsibility by both the Foundation for Educational Services (FES) and the Directorate for Educational Services (DES).

Headed by stockbroker Paul Bonello, the inquiry found the position of Roderick Agius, as CEO of the FES, “no longer tenable” as he has now “lost all moral authority with staff and stakeholders”.

The inquiry however notes that, while Agius should shoulder the main responsibility for what happened, “Agius should not be singled-out as the sole responsible of this administrative disaster”.

“The whole board of the FES must carry the responsibility for the lack of monitoring and oversight in the operations of the foundation,” the board of inquiry said, adding that the FES board were too complacent to press Agius further on the matter.

According to the Bonello inquiry, Agius “tends to undervalue problems” and the FES board should have been aware of that.

Agius reportedly recognised the issue and has already requested to be transferred elsewhere.

The board of inquiry also said that some “sort of responsibility” should be shouldered by DES director general, and “in a lesser grade” the director for student services.

A number of FES board members offered their resignations, but the inquiry board pointed out that none of these had a greater responsibility to shoulder when compared to the rest of the members.

The Bonello inquiry however proposed that FES board should be reconstituted to allow the presence of high officials from the Education Department. This, it argued, would allow better coordination between the FES and DES.

A total of 18 persons were questioned by the board. The board had also called to interview Nationalist MP Joe Cassar, who however refused the invitation. In an email sent to the board, the former health minister said that the Opposition had already stated what it had to say.

“The Opposition notes that political responsibility falls under Minister Bartolo and therefore we expect the Board to scrutinise the decisions taken by the Minister,” Cassar told the inquiry board.

The board noted that no judiciary or administrative investigation should carry out political assessment.

The ministerial decision to transfer SkolaSajf under FES, with effect as from summer 2014, was taken in November 2013 and was informally communicated by Joseph Caruana, the Ministry for Education’s permanent secretary, to FES senior executive Ruth Baldacchino, the DES director general George Borg and Anna Gilson, service manager.

The inquiry determined that the permanent secretary did not properly communicate the decision, failing to specify the responsibilities to be undertaken by the FES and DES.

No preparatory work for the rolling-out of SkolaSajf and Klabb 3-16 was carried out between December 2013 and April 2014.

During the same period, Baldacchino – assistant to Agius – was out on study leave. It appears that during her study leave, Agius did not follow up on the preparations that should have taken place.

The centres’ opening was delayed for a number of factors, mainly because the centres were not prepared: heads of school did not know who their coordinators would be; lack of material including academic stuff, printers, cleaning material and first aid equipment; only applications from 19 centres – out of 63 – had been processed. Amid all the confusion, approved playworkers started dropping out while it wasn’t know which children required learning support assistants.

The board of inquiry said that all those interviewed – and who interacted directly with FES including the Malta Union of Teachers – attributed the responsibility to Agius.

An on-site survey had revealed structural weaknesses in the composition of FES. The report was however shelved by both the FES and the DES.

It transpired that while the CEO insisted all along that everything was under control, just two days before the opening he admitted to having “a small problem”: lack of 220 playworkers to take care of the children.

During the course of its investigation, the board of inquiry noted that Agius’s actions had not been malicious but, as a result of lack of training.

“Roderick Agius is a man of good intentions but who lacks the necessary training and managerial skills to lead a critical and important entity such as the FES,” the board said.

Agius was appointed CEO in 2008, having spent years as a teacher and a school counsellor.

The board of inquiry found that there “existed no doubts” that Agius had underestimated the gravity of the situation, with the end result that he had misled the board.

It also flags that passive attitude of the Directorate of Educational Services within the Ministry.

Worsening the situation was transfer of a key employee who had expressed the wish to go work elsewhere. The transfer however took place during the most vulnerable and critical moment.