MUT stops boy, 5, from attending class

A five-year-old boy will not be allowed in class on orders of the Malta Union of Teachers, which claims that he "attacked" his teacher although the Education Ministry said this was an accident.

The incident happened on Monday when a young teacher was hit in the eye by a crayon the boy was using. The teacher is still in pain and suffering from blurry eyesight, with the fear of further complications, the union said.

The MUT described what happened as an attack on the teacher. When contacted, president John Bencini said the details surrounding the incident were not clear and he was unsure whether it was intentional or not.

Mr Bencini said the teacher, in her late 20s, was sitting at her desk when all of a sudden she was hit in the eye by a crayon. He said teachers had long been concerned about the boy's behaviour.

"They have been filing reports about this particular child for two years. In the past, he has head-butted his teacher and was described as a problematic child," he said.

The union has directed the teacher not to accept the boy in class before it was determined whether he needs a facilitator.

A ministry spokesman said the education authorities were refusing this because by "no stretch of the imagination" could the incident be considered anything but an accident.

The school administration, on its part, will take all necessary steps to ensure such incidents are avoided, the spokesman added.

This was not the only disagreement between the MUT and the education authorities yesterday. The union said in the afternoon it wrote to Education Minister Dolores Cristina declaring a trade dispute because of teachers' working conditions and the slow implementation of initiatives outlined in a reform agreement signed last year.

It expressed disappointment over the government's interpretation and implementation of the agreement.

But the ministry spokesman said a number of measures had already been implemented since the signing of the agreement and the directorate for education services was in the process of implementing other measures covered by the same agreement.

Francis Fabri, the principal of St Theresa College, said the crayon incident happened at the Birkirkara Primary, which formed part of his college.

It took place while the children, including the boy involved in the incident, were drawing.

The head of school informed the college of the incident, asked that the boy is seen by a psychologist in order to get any help he needed, wrote a report on the incident, offered the teacher support and cooperated with the authorities.

Mr Fabri said he personally spoke to the teacher and offered support and the school and the college set in motion procedures for the boy to be evaluated so that no risks would be taken.

He said that although the necessary action should be taken in the best interest of all involved, one had to be cautious, even in the choice of adjectives used.