Education Ministry meets teachers’ union over ALP complaints

The Education Ministry has met representatives of the Malta Union of Teacher following an urgent request by the teachers to discuss concerns over the Alternative Learning Programme offered in various centres.

The ALP is an educational measure to help students who, by age 14, have lost all interest in school. The programme offers a variety of vocational experiences, from hospitality to welding, that engages students who were otherwise disillusioned with the traditional classroom. 

According to the European Commission’s report, Malta needs to offer more vocational experiences in its education system and a number of measures have already been introduced. The ALP is one alternative.

 “Rather than losing these students, with little prospect of meaningful employment, the ALP is offering them a road leading to skilled employment and a career,” the Education Ministry said.

The ALP Paola centre boasts of a fully equipped gym, a hairdressing salon, a design and technology lab, a youth hub where the students relax and reinforce their group skills, and basic skills classes of Maltese, English and Maths, among many other areas. 

The Ministry was also supporting the development of sports activities for ALP Paola and is currently in negotiations with Tarxien NGOs to organise sports sessions for all students to keep the timetable varied and engaging.

The MUT was however concerned that students were “devising ways and means how to get themselves into the Alternative Learning Programme, by trying to get themselves expelled or choosing not to apply for their O level examinations”.

The Ministry has met MUT representatives before the programme started in September and held a number of meetings since.

Earlier on Friday, the Ministry met MUT and provided feedback to their concerns. 

It said that the Education Officers and other technical officers were providing curriculum support to the teachers both in the academic and in the vocational subjects.

Only one student from Mater Dei school was offered a place in the Programme at Paola.  All the other students came from mainstream secondary schools. 

According to the ministry, the groups at Paola are very small and never exceed 12 students in a group. 

“This was done in order to ensure a proper teacher-student ration that would permit for individual attention by the teacher,” the ministry said.

At the ALP Paol, a system of group support by LSAs was adopted who in turn give support in groups where needed. Vocational teachers, which in some cases and in certain areas, are very limited, are being trained and supported to develop their teaching programmes and to develop assessment tools. 

“The decision over which students were to join the ALP was taken in the Summer in conjunction with Education Officers, school administrations and psychosocial professionals.   No new students are being admitted into the ALP midway through the scholastic year,” the ministry said.

“The Ministry is adamant that the Alternative Learning Programme will become a programme which will help students into vocational education and provide them with the necessary tools to get the necessary skills for a flourishing future.”