The Institute for Education and Education Departments and Directorate would like to remind all schools that the following process is being adopted with regards to the planning and implementation of the forty (40) hours management driven professional development sessions.
Kindly note that this year, after taking into consideration the strong feedback from schools, a specified number of centrally planned CoPE sessions will be carried out when students are not at schools. This will be done for training session for KGEs as well as for sessions organised by NSSS/DES on the social determinants of health. However, schools will still be able to use up to 40 hours of professional development sessions according to their needs. Clearly, schools are to ensure, as per agreement, that, during at least 12 hours out of the total 40 hours CoPE time per year, learners are to remain at school.

1. As part of the SDP process, schools will perform the internal review and elicit the actions to be implemented in the following year together with the professional development identified as required by educators to be able to implement those actions.
25 hours Training Plan placed on School Calendar and planned by the School for its educators
This should be based on the findings of the internal review.

2. The Management Driven Professional Development Plan which can be accessed via the following link: https://goo.gl/KKNMRg should be filled in by each school indicating the sessions required. Each session should preferably not cater for more than twenty-five (25) participants to enhance effectiveness. Parallel sessions can be planned and there can also be rotation of groups. Please note that this is just a suggestion and grouping clearly depends on the operational needs and possibilities of the school.
i. Schools can contact the relevant Directorates, Education Officers or other experts within MEDE directly if they can provide the training session required. If the training area required by the school cannot be catered for in this manner the school can contact the Institute for Education by submitting an online application through the link: https://goo.gl/MKx96y. A list of areas which may be explored through professional development sessions may be accessed through the following link: https://bit.ly/2mcFmBF The Institute for Education will link the school with the expert that can then develop the session about that area. The school can schedule a meeting with the expert to plan the training session required within the timeframe available and according to the availability of the expert.
ii. Schools also have the possibility to contact an expert of their choice in the following way:
§ Experts coming from institutions such as University of Malta, MCAST, ITS, Government Departments and Entities outside MEDE which are listed in Schedule 2 of the Public Procurement Regulations (http://justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=9532&l=1 Pg. 127) can be engaged after notifying the Head of College Network (College Principal)
§ Speakers/Experts with a unique skill set for Malta and not coming from the institutions mentioned above can be contacted after approval is obtained. Approval request is to be made through direct order request to Head of College Network (College Principal). The request should include a justification why the expert is being engaged directly. Once request is approved, according to the Public Procurement Regulations thresholds, the School may proceed to contact the expert.