Kurt Sansone
Teachers' disciplinary decision soon
A disciplinary board will "in the coming days" decide what action to take against three teachers who reported sick but were instead allegedly shopping in London.
The three female teachers from the Gozitan boys' secondary school Ninu Cremona in Victoria had reported sick on October 30 last year but were allegedly on an early morning flight to London, sources said. The shopping trip lasted until November 3, spanning the weekend and two school holidays.
The Education Ministry confirmed the three teachers presented medical certificates to justify their absence although a doctor, sent by the Gozo college principal, did not find them at home when visiting on the same day they reported sick.
"It will be the disciplinary board that decides what further action should be taken, if any," the spokesman said, when asked whether the ministry had asked the police to investigate allegations the medical certificates were issued fraudulently.
In such cases the Public Service Management Code regulated all action that needed to be taken, he added.
"Once there was an allegation that such teachers were not actually on sick leave but were abroad, then the internal investigation process was implemented and this has led to disciplinary proceedings," the spokesman said.
The disciplinary board was appointed in the first week of December.
The three teachers were accompanied on their trip by a fourth teacher from the girls' secondary school Agius de Soldanis, who, according to the ministry, was granted "special leave" by the school headmistress.
The ministry confirmed it was not according to government policy for teachers to be granted special leave on the eve of public or school holidays. However, it said the headmistress approved the request to "make up for extra duties" performed by the individual in her free time during the summer holidays.
"Even though the school head did this in good faith, she has been notified such action should not be repeated," the spokesman said.
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C Cassar
Jan 19th 2010, 20:41
U kemm kjass u ghageb ghal din il-gurnata! Possibli xejn aktar interessanti ma jigri f'pajjizna??!!!
G Refalo
Jan 18th 2010, 17:18
let me put things straight. I am a teacher as well. please be informed as to how and when teachers can avail of special leave. as understandable teachers cannot just assent from their work, for obvious reasons, meaning that when they are not at school students are missing lessons. this said however, teachers like all other people employed in the public sector at some point may need to take time off. who is the public to judge or draw assumptions as to why a teacher took a day off as long as this is done correctly? it's nobody's business at the end of the day as long as this is done with a certain discretion. i am disgusted by some comments written in the blog because it clearly shows the prejudice against the teachers in general. let's not forget the good practices which go on in schools all the time and that unfortunately few speak of. perhaps kurt sansone can investigate this issue in the near future. thank you.
Joe Fenech
Jan 18th 2010, 15:45
What's going to happen to them? Lose their warrant? Go to jail? Yes this is fraud, but let's not forget that Malta has seen a multi-million Euro vat fraud where no one even got a day of jail !
P Muscat
Jan 17th 2010, 20:10
I would like to correct my own comment. Being an educator myself I would not call myself as irresponsible. One should NOT generalise and call all teachers and educators irresponsible!! That NOT makes quite a difference!
P Muscat
Jan 17th 2010, 18:13
As far as I know special leave is not assigned to plan shopping holidays. It should only be used in emergency situations. Moreover, four days would have been enough considering 2nd and 3rd November (Monday and Tuesday) were mid-term holidays.
I agree that teaching might be stressful however this does not justify the teachers concerned to take sick leave and go abroad. should they have been really stressed, they should have looked for some rest and stay at home rather than stressing themselves even more to travel, shop and find the best bargains possible!
Having said this, one should generalise and state that teachers and educators are irresponsible. In addition I agree these teachers should be disciplined and enjoy all consequences for their actions.
They should have been aware of all the consequences as well.
C.R. Taliana
Jan 17th 2010, 09:12
Being a teacher myself I cannot but agree with M.Mifsud about the fact that teaching is one of the most stressful existent jobs. But this does not justify those three teachers who were on sick leave to go shopping or whatever. I also wonder who their doctor or doctors are.
Jesmond Micallef
Jan 16th 2010, 20:33
Dear M.Mifsud,
May I quote you : "And I invite you to try teaching, one of the most stressful jobs on earth".
Indeed it is. I tried teaching for a year. It was a pleasure with the good students, but unfortunately, I had problems with the not so good ones. It got to me at the end and I just gave it up.
wally vella-zarb
Jan 16th 2010, 19:52
@ M.Mifsud
"it would have only been fair to allow the teachers to take their time off to plan their holiday like any other employee in other sectors. They probably had "no other choice"
Surely they could have asked for 'special leave' like the fourth teacher did? Have I missed a line in the report above where it says that they did but were refused?
Franco Farrugia
Jan 16th 2010, 17:26
@ c.camilleri: If they had been employed in the private sector, they would have been heavily reprimanded and given a first warning, not discharged!
Parents are not immune to making mistakes, and that is putting mildly. Teachers make mistakes as well and they will be disciplined.
As for teachers having 'enough holidays', well, that says a lot about how much you like teachers, by the sound of your 'voice'.
Franco Farrugia
Jan 16th 2010, 17:22
@ Wallace Muscat - In principle, I disagree with M. M.Mifsud's suggestion. That having been said, please be informed that whenever teachers want to take a holiday abroad, or somehow leave the country, they can only do so during peak-time. I hope you understand that. (I am in no way condoning what these three individuals reportedly did.)
M. Mifsud
Jan 16th 2010, 17:21
@ all the ones who squirmed upon reading my comment:
I didn't mention the 2 months holidays, but simply 6 hours that could be deducted from the yearly special hours leave. I wonder how many of you fail to use any leave that is entitled to you during the year.
And I invite you to try teaching, one of the most stressful jobs on earth! I speak from experience as an ex-teacher! The job is NOT over at 2.30pm but has to be continued at home, there are at least a couple more hours of correcting and lesson planning. Yes, the holidays are welcome and definitely needed, but alas, cannot be taken whenever one pleases or needs. That is why special leave is allocated to each and every teacher.
Last but not least, I am not asking anyone to agree with me, this is simply my opinion :-D
c. camilleri
Jan 16th 2010, 16:52
Had they been employed in the private sector they would have been already discharged and not just thinking about what disciplinary action to be taken. But Govt employees are sacred cows and they can get away with murder. It is about time that such discrepancies be removed. It a disgrace for members of the teacher profession to stoop so low. They have enough days off. Was it necessary to have extra days to go shopping in London? These are the persons with whom we trust the upbringing of our children and who should set an example. What parents would have these teachers with the care of their children once they did not thing twice to leave their classes alone.
A Cassar
Jan 16th 2010, 16:13
@M. Mifsud
Just in case you are living in another planet: Unlike other employees teachers have 2 MONTHS off in summer, 2 WEEKS over christmas, plus easter, plus mid-terms.
So your comment: "it would have only been fair to allow the teachers to take their time off to plan their holiday like any other employee in other sectors."...is completely bizarre to say the least. 3 months holidays a year vs 1 month a year....which one is the most "fair"
@Franco Grima
Yes, doctors who issue certificates in these cases are always interviewed. In most cases the doctor would have been fooled by the employee (eg claiming to have a heavy bout of diarrhoea...how can you prove that?). It is very unlikely that they went to the doctor asking for a certificate to go to London!!!
Any suspiscion of collusion is of course referred to the medical council
r pace bonello
Jan 16th 2010, 15:44
@Franco Grima Indeed, where do/does the doctor/s who signed these certificates stand? Same doctor? This must surely highlight the ease with which most doctors issue sickness certificates - MAM please note.
@M Mifsud So now its the Head of School who is at fault here, why? Unreasonable for doing his duty? Regarding your comment that teachers should be able to take their time off to plan their holiday like any other employee in other sectors, I tend to disagree because teachers, like most employees, have employment contracts which clearly spell out their conditions of employment. If they do not like the conditions under which they work they are free to leave and get a job which allows them to take their vacations when they need them although I do not know of any employer who would allow this. Vacation leave is normally at the discretion of the employer.
wallace muscat
Jan 16th 2010, 14:21
@M Mifsud
God forbid your comment is taken seriously! 'like any other employee in other sectors' What about the summer holidays and all other out of nowhere holidays, besides Christmas , Easter and the rest. Shame on them.
M. Mifsud
Jan 16th 2010, 12:45
The teaching profession unfortunately does not allow one to take a day off when needed. Special time off is granted at the discretion of the school head, even though a number of hours are allocated to each teacher every scholastic year. It's highly likely that this head just refused to grant the time off. Considering that it was a long weekend with holidays, it would have only been fair to allow the teachers to take their time off to plan their holiday like any other employee in other sectors. They probably had "no other choice" :)
N.B. I have no connection whatsoever with the teachers in question, but I do know what it's like to have an unreasonable head of school ;)
Franco Grima
Jan 16th 2010, 09:43
The three teachers presented medical certificates. What happens now to the medical doctor who issued such certificates? Any measures, if applicable, will be taken in his regard? Has the medical council or the health ministry gone into the matter?