13 teachers resign as the government fails to keep its promises - PN
It has been five weeks since the teachers' strike for better pay
The government was failing to keep its promise to 'substantially' raise teachers' pay, despite an evident crisis in the sector confirmed by the resignation of 13 teachers over the past few weeks, the Nationalist Party said on Tuesday.
Shadow Minister Justin Schembri said in a statement that according to information given in reply to a parliamentary question, over the past 12 weeks six teachers resigned from primary schools and seven from secondary and other levels.
Meanwhile, five weeks had passed since the Malta Union of Teachers ordered a teachers' strike to press for better pay and conditions as promised by the Robert Abela government before the general election.
"The Nationalist Party is urging the government to understand the importance of giving educators a proper financial package that is adequate to their profession," Schembri said.
Ministry: Teachers have been replaced
In a reaction to the PN statement, the Ministry of Education said that the shadow minister had failed to point out that the minister of education said in reply to the parliamentary question that all but one of the teachers who had resigned had been replaced. The remaining one would be replaced in the coming days.
The ministry said it had proposed substantial rises for educators in the talks with the MUT. Educators, it said, would benefit from a suitable and sustainable raise and an improvement in their conditions of work.