[WATCH] Government and MUT announce paid study leave agreement

Government and MUT announce paid leave agreement

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Education Minister Evarist Bartolo visited St. Clare's college in Pembroke earlier today. The visit was held to announce an agreement between the government and the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) around paid study leave.

“The paid study leave agreement is a fulfillment of one of our electoral promises and it would allow all educators, be they Learning Support Assistants (LSA), head teachers or teachers themselves, to follow further studies for a year if so desired,” Bartolo said.

Bartolo added that the program would be open to educators from all levels, and that the exact criteria of the study leave would be communicated through a press release at a later stage.

MUT president Kevin Bonello, expressed his gratitude to the government for collaborating to create this agreement.

"This programme will allow educators to give a more focused and wide reaching education to their students,” Bonello said.

The prime minister stressed that the program would not be limited merely to teachers, but it will also be open to other categories to ensure as holistic an education as possible.

“The agreement shows the government’s commitment to providing as good an education as possible to our children,” Muscat said, adding that the government was making substantial investments in the system to ensure the best possible educational experience.

“There are a lot of expenses to consider, like the actual cost of the studies, as well as the expenses incurred in hiring replacements, but the government is willing to make these investments,” Muscat added.

During their visit of the college, the prime minister and minister also visited some classes and spoke to the head mistress of the school about the progress made in the school under the new co-education program.

Referring to the results of a study and questionnaire carried out by the head mistress of the school, Muscat said that the co-ed program was so far being reviewed positively, with students saying “What’s the big deal?” at their experience of mixed gender schools.

“While it is not all a bed of roses, the collaboration with the MUT has made this program a strong success,” Muscat said thanking the staff of the school for undertaking this project.

Muscat added that he looked forward to further work with the MUT in order to extend the co-education program to the next Forms after it started with Forms one and two in 2013.