About a hundred teachers have not yet been provided with laptops, needed for lesson delivery and preparing student material, due to a supply shortage.

The Education Ministry told The Sunday Times of Malta that some teachers would be given a laptop in the coming weeks, once the supplier delivers the supply.

The new scholastic year started two weeks ago.

Asked how many teachers have been affected, a ministry spokeswoman said that “a comparatively very small number of educators” are currently without a laptop. She pointed out that each classroom is equipped with an all-in-one workstation connected to the interactive white board, which can be used by teachers.

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Millions of euros have been invested in education in recent years to ensure that classes are equipped with centralised systems enabling educators to give interactive lessons using state-of-the-art equipment like interactive white boards and 3D printers.

Following an investment of €15.4 million last year, laptops were provided to all teaching staff, including learning support and kindergarten assistants.

Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) president Marco Bonnici confirmed the union had received complaints from members over the shortage and was monitoring the situation closely. The MUT has also met with the education authorities to discuss it.

According to Mr Bonnici, a group of about 100 teachers have been affected. They are mainly new recruits or those who were out on long leave.

The MUT head said that while it was positive that the government had opted to go for new computers for these teachers, as opposed to hastily supplying them with older ones, he was critical of what he believed to be a “lack of proper planning”.

“It is not like the government did not know how many teachers there would be this year. They knew how many were needed and should have planned ahead.”

It was unacceptable that educators were being forced to kick off the scholastic year in this way, he complained. While they had computers in the classroom at their disposal, they often needed to work from home.

The lack of laptops, he added, was not the only shortcoming. Earlier this week, the teachers’ union warned of possible industrial action, as talks over a new collective agreement stalled.

The talks have gone on for years, the union repeatedly warning that conditions discourage new graduates from teaching.