On Friday 14th October 2011, Archbishop Paul Cremona visited and blessed the new premises assigned to the Secretariat for Catholic Education which are located at the Mall, Floriana. The Secretariat’s offices were previously located at the Archbishop’s Curia and were transferred during the summer months. It took several years for the premises which house the new offices to be ready. The move was necessary to ensure better coordination between those who offer their services in the Church schools’ sector. Presently there are 60 persons who work within the Secretariat. These include professionals, head of departments for the various subjects and administrative staff.
The Secretariat for Catholic Education is the central office of Church schools which today number around 50. These include kindergartens, primary, secondary and sixth forms. The Secretariat offers various services, among which are the distribution of salaries to employees and the retaining of employment records. It is also responsible for discussions with the Education authorities and trade unions, as well as the administration of the different services which are offered by Church schools.
Entrance to Church schools is a process for which the Secretariat is responsible. As from this year, a specific and a full time employee will be allocated in order to handle this delicate process. It is to be noted that last year there were over 4000 applicants, out of which 1800 were admitted into Church schools. This process commenced in January 2011 and the period of application closed recently.
Among the staff which are employed by the Secretariat are: a group of social workers who help students, and sometimes also parents, with their social requirments, two educational psychologists who assess the educational requirements of the students; various counsellors who regularly visit schools to help students overcome their difficulties; coordinators for inclusive education who assess children’s needs and carry these forward to the statemening moderating panel, as well as assisting those children with disabilities or particular conditions; a number of coordinators who oversee programmes such as Let me Learn and the Malta Writing Programme; Literacy Support Teachers. All these programmes are directed at teachers who wish to improve their teaching abilities.
There is also a considerable of heads of departments for the various subjects. These consist of teachers who teach in different schools. Twice a week they visit the schools in order to meet with and support teachers in the teaching of their subject matter. They are also responsible for the organization of short courses for teachers.
The Secretariat for Catholic Education is headed by Fr Charles Mallia O Carm, who is the Archbishop’s Delegate for Catholic Education and Dr Rose Anne Cuschieri, Director for Educational Services.
Click on the photos to enlarge. The photos of the Archbishop’s events may be obtained from PHOTOCITY, Valletta. Tel: 21236723. Email: [email protected]