The Malta Union of Teachers yesterday urged the authorities to "wake up from their slumber" and recognise that the problem of unacceptable pupil behaviour risked spiralling out of control.

MUT president John Bencini said many students had become impossible to control and several teachers were seriously considering leaving their job because of this.

"Though we do not wish to be alarmist, the number of pupils behaving badly is increasing at a rapid rate. Unfortunately, the authorities prefer to sweep the problem under the carpet and pretend it doesn't exist. Otherwise, they are honestly not conscious of the problem," he said.

Mr Bencini was addressing a press conference to launch a seminar titled Unacceptable Pupil Behaviour: The Way Forward, being held at the Dolmen Resort Hotel, Qawra tomorrow.

When contacted on the matter Education Minister Louis Galea said he preferred to address the matter during the seminar, which he will be inaugurating.

"The MUT has long felt the urgent need for this seminar because teachers and our delegates are having to face abuse on a daily basis," said Mr Bencini.

In an MUT survey carried out three years ago among teachers, 64 per cent of the respondents said they had been verbally abused, while another 31 per cent of teachers said they had experienced physical abuse.

Mr Bencini said that over the past three years, the situation, especially in government area secondary schools, had continued to deteriorate.

"In these three years we have been consistently approached by teachers, especially those who have just started their career and sometimes they are accompanied by their parents who want the MUT to persuade their children not to leave the profession," he said.

Many women teachers were facing sexual harassment ranging from obscene language to repulsive SMSs.

He recounted the trauma experienced by an assistant head after a female student started a rumour that he was sexually harassing her.

"The assistant head was instantly removed from the school and as a result of the stress, he suffered a heart attack. The girl later admitted that she had made the story up. This is a rare incident, but these things are happening," he insisted.

Mr Bencini said he recently received a letter from a school, signed by all the staff, complaining that students were constantly swearing, fighting, threatening and physically abusing them, playing truant and vandalising the school's and the teachers' property.

"Just two days ago, a teacher came to the MUT saying that when he had asked a Form 4 girl to return to her place, she started hurling obscenities at him. When he reported the incident to the school head, he was merely informed that these were situations the head was facing every day."

Mr Bencini said the situation was very disconcerting when the stage had been reached where the school head was at a loss about what to do.

"Where discipline is concerned, heads are completely impotent. All they can do is exclude a student for two to three days. But then the delinquent boy is back with the same attitude," he explained.

The most common problem teachers were facing was obscene and offensive language, especially so in area schools of both girls and boys.

"Teachers are facing abuse and are being bullied and harassed on a daily basis. They have zero support from the Education Division and their only refuge is the MUT."

Mr Bencini said that in 2002, the Education Minister launched a policy booklet on good behaviour and discipline for schools, which delved into the need for schools to develop a code of behaviour, in collaboration with schools.

"Despite the efforts of a number of schools to draw up such a code and establish a board of discipline, the teachers' schedule is too packed for them to be giving their collaboration, so somehow this isn't working," he said.

One of the main questions that tomorrow's seminar will tackle is what can be done to ensure that the few unruly students do not continue disrupting the entire class.

"We need to see how and why the education system is failing to motivate students. Plus we need to look at how teachers are being taught at the university to face reality and deal with such situations," Mr Bencini said.

The seminar's keynote speaker, Henrik Billehøj, from the European Trade Union Committee for Education, insists that teachers have a right to teach and pupils had a right to learn.

"It is unacceptable that the education and future of the majority should be put at risk by the unacceptable behaviour of the few," Mr Bencini said, quoting from Mr Billehøj's speech.

Teachers' complaints

Many teachers are at their wits' end as they desperately try to teach in an unfriendly atmosphere. These are just a few comments from teachers who have written to the MUT in desperation:

"One student threatened that she would disfigure my face if I continued shouting. I had just corrected her."

"I have a right to work without being abused."

"I love teaching and I'm good at it, but it's getting too dangerous. The stress of constant battles with pupils is too much. I don't want to be the enemy anymore."

"There is a persistent daily low level of disturbance by pupils."

"I find that working in the so-called Junior Lyceum does not guarantee freedom from abusive and disruptive behaviour."

"Rudeness, verbal abuse and lack of motivation are increasingly the norm."

"Members of staff experience being hit, kicked or pushed by angry or distressed children."

"I have been kicked, punched and bitten on a regular basis by a pupil in my class."