The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) has revealed that the cases of alleged harassment of teachers by their superiors took place at a primary school in the south of Malta and at two girls' junior lyceums.

The MUT stopped one step short of naming the schools where it has alleged teachers had been made to sign their performance appraisals without being given the chance, as was their right, to review them at home and write their feedback properly.

The MUT raised the issue recently, claiming that certain heads or assistant heads were abusing their power by including personal remarks in the appraisal forms and threatening teachers verbally when they disagreed with the comments.

According to the Education Division, investigations involving college coordinators and heads of school revealed that the personal remarks the MUT claimed had been made in the teachers' regard came from a particular teacher with regard to her superiors.

"The division tried to ridicule the claims by teachers who felt offended and humiliated during their appraisals by saying that they had simply reacted to a negative appraisal of their performance," the MUT said.

The union added that the Education Division's reluctance to launch an investigation by an independent commission, as the union had suggested, created further doubts in teachers' minds.

The MUT said it had been verbally told by the authorities that no action would be taken in one of the schools because the head was about to retire.

The union said it believed in appraisals so far as they are held in a just and transparent manner.