A report on a visit to Istituto di Primo Grado F.S. Maresca, Locri- RC., 29th October-10th November, 2001

Abstract

As part requirement for the Diploma in Education Administration and Management at the University of Malta, the students are asked to submit a dissertation or project on an educational issue. The Faculty of education offers students reading this course the option to go abroad for a period of time to observe the running of a school of their choice and write a detailed report on this visit. We took this opportunity and visited the Scuola Media Statale-Istituto Maresca of Locri, in Italy between the 29th October and the 10th November 2001. We chose this particular school since one of us had already been acquainted with it during a student exchange visit which occurred a year before. In this report we aim to relate our hands-on experience of how the school is administered and managed together with our observation of the school organisation, curriculum, teaching methods and all other contingencies made available to us by the administration. We also attempt to put forward some considerations about aspects which struck us most and which we considered relevant to the present Maltese educational system. We were very much welcomed at the school by all the staff. We spent a great deal of time with the Preside (Headmaster) of the school - Mr. Di Nola, and the Primo Collaboratore (Assistant head) Mr. Rinaldi, who were both very available and ready to offer all assistance possible. We also had the opportunity to familiarise with the teachers, students and minor staff through various interviews, informal conversations and class visits. The management team also invited us to some of the meetings held by the different school governing bodies.