The Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) yesterday claimed that a "substantial number" of teachers recently hired by the government have had their employment terminated due to what the union called "administrative incompetence".

The issue seems to know its origin when these teachers sat for their exam re-sits last June, the union said. The exam papers were corrected on time but the results were officially released late, and thus were not considered valid.

The union said many of these teachers had turned down employment with private or Church schools, preferring to join the public service but had now fallen victim of administrative incompetence.

The MUT condemned the way these teachers were treated and requested an immediate inquiry into the matter to ensure justice for these young teachers and accountability of those responsible.

The teachers involved have been called to attend a meeting today by the Directorate of Education.