Education and Sport Minister Byron Camilleri announced that, following Cabinet approval, students with a medical condition or physical disability who do not have learning difficulties will be able to receive assistance from a specially trained medical professional during school hours.
The arrangement will apply when medical support would better meet a student’s needs. Learning Support Educators (LSEs) will continue to assist students who would benefit more from educational support, allowing them to focus on their primary role.
Camilleri said schools currently use LSEs to support students with a range of needs, including learning difficulties, physical disabilities and medical conditions such as diabetes or allergies. He said the change would help schools match the support they provide to each student’s needs.
How the change will work
- Individual needs. Students will receive support from a medical professional or an LSE, depending on which would best meet their needs.
- Newly identified needs. The new arrangement will apply to students whose needs are identified from now on.
- Students already receiving LSE support. Families who believe medical support would better suit their child can request a change.
- Recruitment and training. Medical professionals will be recruited against requirements designed for the education sector and trained to work in schools.
Camilleri said having more medical professionals on site would also help schools provide immediate support when someone needs assistance while waiting for further help.
LSE recruitment continues
The minister said LSE recruitment would continue according to schools’ needs and the availability of suitable candidates. He said working conditions had improved and the sector now employs more LSEs than ever before.
Camilleri urged accurate and detailed reporting of the changes so families could understand how they would affect their children. He is expected to give more details in Parliament during the debate on the Education and Sport Ministry’s financial estimates.
