Towards better services in schools

"A lot of chaos was created unnecessarily. This is not a protest strike aimed at any ministry or authority, but a show of solidarity with a colleague who was attacked," he said. These are John Bencini's words as quoted by The Times on March 23.

However, following the strike last week, Mr Bencini was reported to have stated on the local media that the majority of teachers in Malta agree with the Malta Union of Teachers' stand with the Minister of Education. Was this a solidarity strike or not? It is very unclear to me at this point.

The MUT made it a point to send its delegates around school personnel to clearly let them know that if they did come to school the following day, they were going to be responsible for all the children present in the schools, something which I found most unfair and hard to believe. For those of us who are not union members, this was the last resort to convince us to stay away from the remotest possibility of trouble, thus subtly influencing us in making our decision. We all know what this could have led to.

Those who wanted to show solidarity with teachers and ensure more safety in schools and better services for all are now also being used as a number to minimise the efforts being made by the Ministry of Education too. At the end of the day, all educators should be answerable to the Minister of Education, not the MUT.

Unions are needed of course, and they should seek to be pro-active, instil harmony and reach appropriate solutions in an educated manner. We are either going to work together for the well-being of all stakeholders, particularly the students, or we are going to continue in a power struggle when quite clearly there need not be one.

As educators I am sure that many still believe in open dialogue and discussion... well at least I honestly hope that's the case...

Unfortunately to date in this country there is not a strong parents' association, neither is there a strong students' voice to keep a balance on issues and discussions. Perhaps with their point of view things may be different.

In no way am I condoning the student's behaviour and again insist that students with behaviour difficulties need specialised support and intervention. In fact I am pleased to note that the agreements being reached between the MUT and the Ministry of Education are in fact very similar even to my own views.

However, though I decided to show solidarity with a colleague, and I do want to see better services in schools for the benefit of all, I refuse to be counted with "the majority of teachers who are in agreement with the MUT's stand" if this is going to continue being confrontational and clearly lacking sensitivity. We must teach by example across the board.