Categories of non-teaching staff involved directly in the process of education include counsellors, Educational psychologists, social workers and doctors/nurses who work at the primary and secondary school psychological services, school social work section and educational medical services respectively. Such non-teaching staff are professionally qualified in their field of specialisation and as per conditions laid out in the call for applications by the DES. Educational psychologists focus on the psychological and psycho-educational factors and needs of students affecting their development and learning while social workers concentrate mainly on particular students’ personal, social and family background factors affecting their development and learning outcomes. Doctors and nurses deal with matters relating to health issues at school as well as the prevention and spread of diseases across schools.
During the scholastic year 2010-2011, a new role was introduced, that of the College Prefect of Discipline. Pursuant to the sectoral agreement between the MUT and the Government in December 2017, College Prefects of Discipline have been assimilated in the grade of Head of Department – Prefect of Discipline (HoD-PoD). The Hod-PoD is a resource person whose main responsibility is the effective management and implementation of policies, procedures and activities that promote and reinforce good behaviour in the Colleges’ school communities. Another aspect of the Hod-PoD’ s role is to establish sound inter-personal relationships with students and school personnel to identify at an early stage any challenging behaviour by students and consequently develop an appropriate plan of action to curb it.
Other non-teaching staff giving a service at school include the school secretaries and clerks who work the general public service hours and who carry out the secretarial/clerical duties associated with the school’s administration. The College Precincts Officer, together with each school’s ancillary staff of cleaners and handymen also work general public service hours and together help to maintain a clean and well-maintained school.