Archbishop Charles Scicluna has had a meeting with the staff of St Albert the Great College amid the ongoing controversy stemming from the dismissal of the headmaster, Mario Mallia.

The archbishop is mediating between the school authorities and Mallia but does not have a direct say since the school is run independently of the Curia by the Dominican Order.

Mallia on Monday filed a complaint before the Industrial Tribunal, claiming unfair dismissal and requesting reinstatement and compensation. He claims that his dismissal stemmed from inclusivity programmes he introduced in the school.

The school denies that the inclusivity programmes were the cause of the dismissal, saying the reason was insubordination, with Mallia consistently keeping the school board in the dark about school developments.

The Curia in a carefully-worded statement said that at his meeting with the school staff Mgr Scicluna expressed the hope that church schools would implement inclusivity programmes in a spirit of dialogue 'with all stakeholders'.

The archibishop said that in full respect of the Dominican Order's autonomy to run its school, he had mediated in the controversy by meeting Mallia. He was also in contact with the Order's provincial.

He urged the staff not to allow the current situation to dampen the experiences they had enjoyed in the school in the past and to always give priority to the educational experience of the pupils. 

The meeting was held at the Curia, where the members of staff could speak about their experiences. They also spoke about the inclusivity initiatives at their school and hoped other schools would introduce programmes that had a positive impact on children ins society, the Curia said. 

The meeting was attended by Fr Charles Mallia O.Carm, the archibishop's delegate for Catholic education and Ian Mifsud, director of curriculum and standards in the Secretariat for Catholic Education.