New government proposals to reconsider aspects of the school transport system and open schools an hour earlier to ease traffic congestion were shot down by the Malta Union of Teachers.
In a strongly worded statement, the union yesterday called on the authorities to “stop wasting everyone’s time” and conduct a comprehensive exercise to determine more substantial solutions to the perennial congestion problem.
The Education Ministry published a White Paper last Saturday exploring the notion that school opening hours were considerably exacerbating traffic congestion.
It calls for a thorough rethinking of school transport organisation, including having transport service localities rather than individual schools, as well as staggering the opening hours and dismissal times of different schools.
The document, drawn up in consultation with several stakeholders, also recommends that all schools should open an hour earlier in the morning, suggesting the organisation of extra-curricular activities.
Most State schools already have similar measures in place – including breakfast clubs and Klabb 3-16 before and after school hours – and the White Paper recommends that independent and church schools should follow suit.
We are absolutely against any plans that would force students to leave their homes earlier than necessary
Non-State schools with finishing hours as early as 1pm are also encouraged to finish school later, so as not to cause problems for working parents who have to leave work early to pick up their children.
Among other proposals, the White Paper proposes an overhaul of safety provisions, including on-board supervision to cut down on bullying, incentives to increase the use of transport, and different dismissal times for students using transport and those being picked up by their parents.
In its response, however, the MUT said the government should first address the lack of trust in public transport, the lack of pedestrian underground or overhead passages, the “hopeless” planning of exits on main roads and other traffic management issues.
It said it was absolutely against any plans that would force students leave their homes earlier than necessary or result in added responsibilities to teachers or heads of schools.
“The union will never accept that its members are forced to supervise students on buses, with the exception of transport for children with special needs which is already in force,” it said.
“The union agrees with the government that there should be feasible solutions for students to start using public transport, which would present solutions on various levels including bullying, time management and traffic.”
The MUT also called for an investigation into whether the current contracts for State school transport were signed “in an appropriate manner”.
In its White Paper, the government said it was bound by five contracts with transport service providers which run until the 2017/18 scholastic year and do not contain a termination clause.
The contracts, signed in 2011, cost the government €7.8 million in the last scholastic year and the cost is estimated to increase in the coming years.
The consultation document is available on www.socialdialogue.gov.mt and is open for feedback from the public and stakeholders until October 5.