Updated at 6.10pm with MUT reaction
The teachers’ union has "clarified" its position regarding a controversial exhibition being held at schools, and now says it does not approve or back it.
In a statement on Saturday following another one issued earlier, the union said: "The MUT has always condemned any killing of living species and its promotion in schools. The union has always supported the work carried out to conserve nature and living species and urges educators to pursue their teaching in schools to show the real effects of hunting."
It earlier said that a static exhibition will not influence children “who are used to classroom discussions and practices promoting respect towards nature and its conservation”.
The union was referring to Kaċċaturi San Ubertu's plans to hold a series of exhibitions in schools across Malta and Gozo about hunting, with the event actually being funded by the Gozo Ministry. Gozo minister Clint Camilleri is a bird trapper himself.
Education Minister Clifton Grima has backed the plans, saying children should be exposed to all parts of the country's cultural heritage, however the exhibitions have drawn harsh criticism from others.
Chiming in on the debate, the Malta Union of Teachers earlier on Saturday reasoned that an exhibition on hunting in schools would never counteract all the positive work carried out by educators and schools towards a culture of conservation and respect of all living species.
“Since only education can bring about positive changes, schools cannot ignore controversial themes such as hunting,” MUT said.
The union also pointed out that it was only fair that all organisations which worked towards the conservation of nature be given the same platform by the Education Ministry to promote their work in schools.
In the same breath however, they extended an invitation to educators and schools "to continue to showcase the real effects of hunting" whilst promoting the message towards the conservation of nature and respect of all living species.
Hunting lobby say exhibition is 'purely educational' not propaganda
The hunting lobby that is organising the taxpayer-funded exhibitions in state schools has claimed that it has no intention of encouraging children to take up the hobby.
“The exhibition is purely educational and does not entice children to take up hunting,” Kaċċaturi San Ubertu said in a statement on Saturday that also lashed out at the children’s commissioner for having expressed concern about the plans.
The commissioner, the hunting group said, should “check her facts before parroting an opinion”.
The plans have drawn condemnation from bird conservation group Birdlife Malta and were also received with concern by children’s commissioner Antoinette Vassallo, who said it was important that children were shielded from “physical harm which may be caused by the use of weapons.”
Hunting, the commissioner said, should be restricted to adults and needed to be taught to children in controlled settings that provide context and guidance.
Kaċċaturi San Ubertu said the commissioner’s concerns about the use of firearms did not appear to apply to video games or movies, given that she had not condemned those.
They also argued that the exhibition sought to provide a balanced view about hunting, given that children in schools are taught that hunters “are murderers”.
“Hunting being a totally lacking and prejudiced subject in their education, it informs on the right and the wrong, the culture and benefits being either culinary or the work of hunters towards the environment, all being facts which are intentionally omitted in our children’s education,” the group said.
“Children should be educated on any subject making them aware of what is right and what is wrong and what is safe and what is not. This is exactly the scope of the exhibition,” they said.
It said that children were currently “indoctrinated” by BirdLife Malta and that the commissioner should focus on that, rather than worry about “an informative exhibition that enjoys official acceptance.”