MCAST principal confirms contract not renewed
MCAST principal Joachim James Calleja has confirmed his contract was not renewed by the education ministry, amid reports he was sacked yesterday.
This comes as the post-secondary institution continues to be overshadowed by ongoing industrial action, with the college remaining locked in a dispute with the Malta Union of Teachers over a long-lapsed collective agreement.
Calleja told Times of Malta some three weeks ago the ministry informed him in writing his contract, which was up for renewal, was not going to be renewed.
He said that, since he turned 65, it was practice for his contract to be renewed on a yearly basis. Now 67, Calleja insisted he was not made aware of any decision by the ministry to fire him and that he was set to complete his contract until the end of the academic year in August.
“Now, all of a sudden, they publish this, that I am fired because of the disputes. I have evidence of e-mails from students trying to help them. I have no problem with this but I am not stifling the issue,” Calleja said.
“I knew nothing about the decision, I was not informed about it,” he continued.
“I received a call informing me about the media report, otherwise I knew nothing about it. I have nothing to do with the ongoing discussions. While I attend the discussions, this is between the union and the government.”
Calleja said he has been in discussion on ways to mitigate the hardships students have been experiencing due to the ongoing dispute.
MaltaToday said yesterday that sources close to the institute said the ministry informed the MCAST board that Calleja’s services “were no longer required”. It said a public call will be issued to find a replacement.
An MCAST representative said they found out about the decision to remove Calleja from media reports.
Responding to questions, an education ministry spokesperson said the decision to remove Calleja was taken weeks ago and there had been communication between the ministry and Calleja.
“The ministry thanks professor Calleja, who is the longest principal who served in the MCAST management and under whom progress has been made on various aspects related to the college,” the spokesperson said.
Calleja was appointed MCAST principal and CEO in June 2018.