Inclusive Practice
Inclusive Education in Malta In the late 90s Malta began to move towards a more inclusive, community-based education system. On a recent visit, I connected with the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Disabled People’s Forum (of which I am General Secretary). I also met Education Department officers and representatives of the Malta Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (MFOPD) to research and visit two education facilities: the University of Malta and Dingli Sccondary School – here’s what I discovered. Malta is a small country of three islands in the Mediterranean, 80 miles south of Sicily. It was a British Colony for 250 years and retains some cultural similarities but also differences: being Maltese speaking and more religious, with a strong national pride and focus on family and conservatism. Malta has a traditional single gender education system, based on streaming and selection, with a school population of 55,000 (493,500 total population). Education in Malta is well resourced with 5.1% of GDP spent on education and an average secondary class size of 20. Education is largely delivered through the compulsory system comprising: 150 state schools; 34 church schools; 18 independent schools. Three resource centres act as special schools for full or part-time students. These looked likely to die out at one point but, more recently, student numbers have greatly increased. While some children attend these resource centres full-time due to parental choice, others have no choice. Unfortunately, centres have retained the role of special schools, and investment “geared to their new and expanded role of providing professional support to regular schools in meeting special educational needs” (Salamanca Statement 1994), has not taken place.
In church schools the state pays for teachers’ salaries and support services, with parents asked for a voluntary contribution. In recent years state schools have become co-ed. The independent schools are fee paying. In 2014, a ten-year ‘Framework for Education Strategy for Malta’ was launched to increase participation, community involvement and inclusion, and support educational achievement and retention. A system of “banding” was reintroduced at the end of year 4 (age nine), with benchmark exams in English, Maths and Maltese replacing the equivalent of the 11+ exam and students being ‘set’ according to marks obtained in these exams.
Recent figures from the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education Report show over 96% of students statemented in Malta attend Since 2010 state schools have been organised mainstream inclusive classes - the equivalent for geographically, through pyramidal colleges England is 47.8%. The level of Statements is around comprising: one secondary school; one or two 5.5% in Malta, compared to 3.5% in England - this middle schools; six to ten primary schools. figure is rather high.
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