From policy commitment to lived professional experience: educator wellbeing and leadership values in Malta's National Education Strategy 2024–2030

This study aims to ask two questions: how does Malta's National Education Strategy 2024–2030 respond to working conditions associated with educator wellbeing, and what would need to change for its commitments to be felt in educators’ everyday work? We bring together Maltese studies from different periods, relevant international research and a structured analysis of policy documents. Across the Maltese literature, concerns recur about workload, educational reform, professional autonomy, consultation, recognition and support. Because the studies used different methods and populations, they cannot show whether these problems remained at the same level over time or what caused them. The Strategy addresses several of these concerns through commitments to wellbeing support, professional participation, recognition, development and less administration. Whether these measures have been implemented successfully remains an open question. We propose a six-level framework that distinguishes policy commitments, wider system conditions, leadership values, observable practices, educators’ immediate experiences and wellbeing outcomes, while recognising that feedback can inform future practice and policy. Trust, respect, care, fairness, recognition and empowerment are proposed leadership values, not measured outcomes. The framework offers a way to evaluate policy implementation without assuming that stated intentions lead to better wellbeing. We recommend monitoring what is delivered, how working conditions and professional influence change, and whether educators’ wellbeing improves over time.