The teachers’ union has instructed educators to “refrain” from sending material to the government printing press after an administrative decision to centralise photocopying in State schools.

The government decided to enforce a 1995 circular by the Office of the Prime Minister stating that all printing by government departments must be done by the government printing press.

In a directive published on its website this month, the Malta Union of Teachers said it had received no reply from the Education Ministry following its objections to the scheme.

Teachers who participated in a pilot project earlier this year complained that the system hampered their ability to quickly adapt their lesson plans, as photocopies had to be ordered three days in advance.

Whoever came up with this has no idea of the real needs of schools

The MUT warned last month it was a known fact that the government printing press offered an “inferior product”. It said whoever had come up with the idea of tying teachers’ hands in such a manner clearly had no idea of schools’ real needs.

The proposed system would be a huge burden upon educators, particularly those who personalised their lessons according to the abilities of students, the MUT said. Students who required individual attention would suffer the most, it warned.

Even during the project’s pilot phase, the government printing press failed to keep up with demand from the small number of State schools involved.

Teachers had seen delays and were given mediocre work, the union noted, adding that the new system could even risk teachers not receiving the required materials prior to lessons.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said that in May the ministry, with the government press, had taken the initiative to continue improving the quality of the service for schools and students.

The Times of Malta is informed that the MUT will be meeting the Education Ministry about the matter next week.

jacob.borg@timesofmalta.com