Last updated 5.30pm with ministry, PN reactions - A shortage of up to 150 teachers in primary schools has led the government to carry out one of the 'most messy exercises' in teacher deployment in the last decade, the Malta Union of Teachers said on Sunday.

It said that several teachers providing essential services in schools including literacy support, complementary teaching, nurture support, subject specialists, support for dyslexia, support for hearing impaired and hospital patients' support have been transferred to primary classes starting on Monday.

This meant they could not continue to support to students in their designated roles.

"The MUT is following these deployment cases and is protesting with the ministry about this unprecedented deployment exercise. The union has already declared a trade dispute with the ministry earlier this week and is issuing directives to affected teachers," the union said.

It pointed out that the ministry had been boasting for months that it was well prepared for the start of the new scholastic year.

"However, it chose to hide this massive problem rather than averting the crisis several months ago. Now, in panic mode, the Ministry for Education is trying to fill these vacancies through a rushed deployment exercise on the eve of the scholastic year, leaving thousands of students without essential services for the entire scholastic year and it is expecting teachers to prepare to take a primary class, which they may have never taught, overnight. This is unacceptable," the union insisted.

Ministry appeals for cooperation

In a reaction, the Ministry of Education said everything 'is ready' for the opening of the new scholastic year. It said it was always ready to discuss any difficulties with the trade union in the interests of students and staff. 

 The ministry said it had discussions with the union on the particular circumstances of the pandemic and the extraordinary restrictions it demanded included the need for some peripatetic  teachers to temporarily take a class as was done last year.

The ministry said it had been clear with the union that deployment for 82 teachers needed in primary classes to be made according to seniority but the union recently changed its position. 

The ministry appeal for all-round cooperation for a smooth scholastic year.

PN: Matters need to be corrected

In another reaction, the Nationalist Party said that the fact that teachers were being transferred to new classes just hours before the start of the school year confirmed the Education Ministry's panic and lack of preparation, despite what it claimed.

Such late transfers were detrimental to pupils and teachers, not least because teachers did not have time to prepare for new classes and subjects.

The situation also confirmed how right the PN was a month ago to complain that the protocols related to the pandemic had been finalised too late.

Shadow minister Clyde Puli said he hoped the situation would be remedied to everyone's satisfaction.