On 28th August 2023, the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) took proactive measures to address a pressing issue regarding the deployment of Nurture Teachers under the National School Support Services (NSSS). To bring attention to and find a resolution for this issue, the UPE registered a trade dispute on 10th August 2023.

Given the circumstances, the UPE strongly objected to the widespread deployment of Nurture Teachers across various schools. The following directive was then issued: 

“Nurture Teachers who are members of the UPE are instructed to disregard the deployment notice issued by the Ministry of Education and to remain in the school where they worked during the 2022/2023 academic year until further instructions are provided.”

In recent weeks, the Ministry has begun discussions on the matter and it has been observed that many schools have low attendance rates in Nurture Classes. The Union is displeased with this situation and has made it clear to the Ministry that a proactive approach is necessary in educating teachers and members of the Senior Management Team (SMT) about the benefits of Nurture Classes for the well-being of our students.

It has also been noted that the Ministry should establish a benchmark for the number of students necessary to retain only one school, and the number of students that would warrant more than one school. 

Logistically, low attendance numbers allow for the possibility of mixed schools, particularly when the final count of students is not known until the end of the academic year.

During the aforementioned discussions, the Union reached an agreement with the Ministry to try and resolve outstanding issues pertaining to Nurture Groups with more than two schools, as well as those employed in schools far from each other. 

The Union will also work towards reducing paperwork and school based projects as it recognizes that Nurture groups are currently overburdened with tasks. The Union executive together with its members, will discuss the furture of Kinder class interventions as well as whole class sessions in the coming weeks. 

Members of the UPE working in Nurture groups are advised that Learning Support Educators & Teachers who are deployed in more than one school shall benefit from an annual allowance, over and above other allowances already stipulated in the agreement.

The allowance for this year is of 300 eur annually. 

This allowance shall cease to be paid if there is no longer the need for the educator to cover more than one school. Teaching grades receiving this allowance shall not be entitled for Travel Logbook reimbursement. 

Therefore, the directive issued on 28th August 2023 is currently suspended. 

Union members are advised to contact the Union for further information by calling 2122 1252 or emailing info@upe.mt.