Schoolboy's death findings anger teachers

Teachers were up in arms yesterday after hearing that the board of inquiry into the death of a 14-year-old boy who died when a goal post fell on him had pointed fingers at them by saying the incident could have been avoided.

The report concluded among other things that "the incident could have been avoided had those running the school and the teachers been more sensitive and aware of the danger that existed".

The president of the Malta Union of Teachers, John Bencini described such a declaration as "worrying".

He claimed this declaration "takes the biscuit" when one takes into account the fact that the government had agreed on the need to appoint health and safety teachers in state schools in the 1994 collective agreement. The government signed with the MUT but then dragged its feet on the matter.

Mr Bencini felt that somebody else should have been more sensitive in this regard but had instead procrastinated and only issued letters of application for health and safety teachers in 1999 and appointed them in 2000.

The MUT had for years been pointing out other dangers to students without any action being taken by the authorities.

"There still are rats in San Guzepp School, Marsa in spite of protests by the MUT. The danger from the asbestos roofs of the workshops is still there.

"As far as we are aware, photographs have been taken of the roofs but nothing else has come of it," Mr Bencini argued.

For years, the MUT has warned the authorities that it was waiting for an accident to happen to the hundreds of students who are taken to their school over one hour prior to opening times.

"These students either run about in the roads adjacent to the school or run amok in those schools that open their doors early.

"When the Education Division was informed that there were teachers who were prepared to come in early to supervise the children and asked to be compensated accordingly, the division refused to authorise payment," Mr Bencini said.