Nine students from the Ħamrun secondary school have been moved to specialised support programmes as the education authorities react to teachers’ concerns over unruly behaviour.
Maria McNamara, director general for education, said the nine children will be given dedicated support to help them deal with behavioural issues.
But she insisted this was not a reflection of the vast majority of students who attended the school, which forms part of the San Ġorġ Preca college.
The school was last week described as a “ghetto” by the Malta Union of Teachers, a label rejected by headmistress Doriann Portanier Mifsud.
In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta, she said the use of the word ‘ghetto’ was unfair on the vast majority of students, who went about their daily routines with little or no problems.
“We do have students with challenging behaviour, but they are few and no different from the experiences I have had in other schools in different parts of Malta,” Ms Portanier Mifsud said.
The Ħamrun school hosts some 360 children and caters for students between Form 3 and Form 5. The recent outburst by the MUT follows the case of a female student last November who alleged sexual abuse by a teacher and several male students. The teacher was removed from the school.
Police investigations are ongoing, and three months later, no one has been charged yet.