Malta's guidance and counselling services : an overview (1987-1996)

Abstract

In the previous chapter, Degiovanni provided an overview of the origins of Malta's Guidance and Counselling Services, and of their development up to 1987. In this chapter I propose to look at initiatives after that date, describing the attempts that were made to meet the ever changing needs of parents and students. Various new services were introduced over the past decade, while others were upgraded or extended, in line with a mission statement which declares that: 'The Guidance and Counselling Services ofthe Education Division (also incorporating the Personal and Social Education Programme in the Secondary Schools) provide a comprehensive, integrated and continuous service to students and parents aimed at helping in the full development of the whole personality of the student as intended in the Education Act, 1988. The Guidance and Counselling Services supported, supplemented and complemented by Personal and Social Education and other helping agencies, have a central role in developing the personal, social, educational and vocational potential of all students. The Guidance and Counselling programme (as well as the Personal and Social Education Programme) is based on the developmental, personcentred approach and is, therefore, primarily concerned with empowering students to learn and to take responsibility rather than imposing particular options and decisions on them'. Presently, the Guidance and Counselling Services falls under the remit of the Director of Education in charge of Student Services and International Relations. The line of responsibility is drawn from the Director to an Assistant Director (Student Services), and to an Education Officer (Guidance and Counselling). The Assistant Director ensures the co-ordination between Guidance and Counselling Services and other related Departmental Agencies (such as Welfare and Psychological Services), facilitating the best use of available expertise through cross-referrals. The Education Officer is directly responsible for the co-ordination of the work of Counsellors, Guidance Teachers and Personal and Social Education facilitators. There are 7 counsellors in the secondary school sector, 107 guidance teachers (56 male, 51 female), and 77 Personal and Social education facilitators (29 male, 48 female). 4 other counsellors are awaiting their appointment, three to serve at the secondary school level, and one at the primary school level. The Reorganisation Agreement drawn up between the Government and the Malta Union of Teachers in 1994, and referring to the Classification, Regrading and Assimilation of the Education Class, specifies that the state secondary and post-secondary sector should be allocated one guidance teacher per 300 students. According to this same agreement guidance teachers have a maximum teaching load of 14 lessons, and receive a special annual allowance for the performance of their duties. Currently, guidance teachers and counsellors have the opportunity to follow a diploma level course of studies at the University of Malta. The diploma level course is the minimum qualification required by the State to appoint a guidance teacher to the Counsellor grade. Counsellors must also have not less than ten years teaching experience, of which at least the last five must be in state schools, and must have also served for at least five years as Guidance Teachers in state schools. Some of the main activities that are organised by the Guidance and Counselling Services are briefly described in the first part of this chapter. One of these initiatives, namely the Tracer Study looking at the vocational and educational choices of Maltese schoolleavers, is considered in more detail in the second part of the present article.