Teachers' union, minister cross swords

The Malta Union of Teachers yesterday urged the education authorities to commit themselves to ensure that unacceptable behaviour by schoolchildren be treated in a way that ensures a proper environment and security for both teachers and students.

The MUT is irked at the punishment handed down to a 14-year-old student who attacked his geography teacher last week at the Paola Boys' Junior Lyceum. The boy was suspended for a few days and allowed to sit for his exams at his school, in a secluded area.

On Tuesday, Education Minister Louis Galea, who pledged zero tolerance to violence, accused the union of glossing over the issue of unruly children.

In a letter to Dr Galea, yesterday, the union, which noted that it was not given a copy of the ministry's press handout on Tuesday, said that while the minister said he believed such an important and delicate matter as discipline in schools should not be treated through exchanges between the minister and the teachers' union, Dr Galea had chosen to publish a long statement which was circulated to all teachers.

This was a contradiction, which left the MUT with no alternative but to reply to comments and to circulate its reply in the same way as the minister had done so that everyone would be able to reach one's own conclusions, the union said.

The MUT informed the minister that, like him, they were preoccupied with such incidents. The union was interested in this matter not only because the teachers it represented suffered injury and humiliation, but also because the majority of students who wished to make the best of their school days were being hindered in doing so. Teachers also were being hindered in their right to teach.

The MUT said it was also concerned at the fact that students who resorted to unacceptable action needed attention and help that could not always be given at school. The union said that on Monday it requested an urgent meeting with the Director General of Education to discuss the case in detail but, up to yesterday, it had received no reply.

At the time of the school incident, the MUT was holding direct discussions with the authorities and had asked that since the student was suspended from school he would not be allowed to sit for his examinations at his school but instead go to the Education Division. Had this request been accepted, a lot of trouble would have been avoided, it said.

The MUT said that contrary to what the authorities were saying - that the aggressor was suspended for a month - the student was in fact suspended for only nine school days. The union did not consider this a deterrent.

Replying to the union's comments, Dr Galea thanked MUT secretary-general Joseph Degiovanni for the letter and remarked that he had already seen the letter, which although addressed to him (Dr Galea), was distributed to the media before it reached him.

Dr Galea said he wanted to discuss the situation with the MUT, adding that despite the various points raised in the letter, which merited an answer, he reiterated that it was not his intention to get involved in controversies with the union.