Learning Support Educators' quest for better working conditions should not be at the expense of children with disability, the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) said.

In a statement on Wednesday, it said it was concerned at recent statements issued by the teachers’ unions, which might adversely affect disabled schoolchildren.

“While educators’ health and working conditions should be safeguarded, this could not be at the expense of the well-being and dignity of disabled children, some of the most vulnerable members of our society,” Commissioner for the Rights of Persons with Disability Oliver Scicluna said.

The Union of Professional Educators recently warned it would report the government to European Health and Safety authorities for difficult and deplorable working conditions. It said Learning Support Educators were getting badly injured at work after being made to lift children daily.

LSEs supported students in the classroom in a variety of ways, assisting teachers with the delivery of the national curriculum by breaking down the lesson in a way that children understood.

Read: Schools ‘cannot handle’ children with disability, parents say

The CRPD urged the government to take the necessary measures to safeguard the health of its educators and improve their working conditions. Not only should schools be accessible, but the necessary equipment, such as hoists and evacuation chairs, as well as appropriate training, should be available to assist LSEs in their duties. 

However LSEs’ quest for better working conditions should not be at the expense of disabled children. “We very much hope that disabled children will not become collateral damage in the battle for membership between the teachers’ unions.”

CRPD said it was committed to making Maltese society an inclusive one, in a way that persons with disability reached their full potential in all aspects of life, enjoying a high quality of life thanks to equal opportunities.