Gibraltar promotes ‘social justice and inclusion’ with new teachers at local university PGCE

MINISTER for Equality Christian Santos said ‘key values of social justice and social inclusion’ are important for Gibraltar’s new teachers.

The minister urged current PGCE students to focus on disability and gender equality at the University of Gibraltar.

Government workers gave the teaching hopefuls a full day’s training on ‘key equality issues’ the government said, as the local PGCE firms up its commitment to fairness.

A total of 88 teachers have qualified through Gibraltar’s PGCE course at its Europa Point university since 2019.

The Ministry of Equality has contributed to the training of new teachers on the Rock, delivering similar presentations since the course started.

Marlene Dalli from the Ministry of Equality and Jenny Victory from the Supported Needs and Disability Office gave the full day of training.

They raised the need for ‘diversity, inclusion and belonging, gender stereotypes, unconscious bias, disability language and etiquette and neurodevelopmental issues,’ the government said in the statement.

The Ministry of Equality also gave in-service days for all education staff earlier this year during in-service days.

Santos said he was ‘pleased’ his staff were delivering training at PGCE courses.

“Addressing equality issues with future teachers who will play a key role in promoting key values of social justice and social inclusion is important as this will better inform their practice,” he said.

“It is vital that we continue to promote equality and that we continue to work with as many key stakeholders as possible.”

Minister Santos has already started to deliver on his varied progressive programme of social inclusion since becoming a minister at the 2023 election.