Taking restrictive measures to keep schools secure while stretching teachers thin was pointless if the government failed to step up enforcement of mitigation measures across all other avenues of society, the Malta Union of Teachers said on Monday.
Addressing the press at MUT's headquarters in Ħamrun, president Marco Bonnici said the union was holding the government responsible for failing to take the pandemic seriously and minimising the severity of COVID-19, including in its reporting of deaths.
“The decision to reopen schools during a pandemic was the government’s,” Bonnici said.
The fact that the R-factor and the number of daily positive cases remain high, and the significant amount of deaths cannot be ignored. The blame cannot be shifted on others.
“The government has not taken the lead at a time when we need consistency and clarity. If we have decided that the reopening of schools is a priority then it needs to be treated as such on every level.”
'Wrong portrayal of teachers'
While calling on the government to be stricter with the enforcement of mitigation measures and awareness of the pandemic, the MUT condemned attempts to characterise teachers as lazy people who are too frightened to return to school.
“It is clear that the government wants to shift the blame of its shortcoming onto others. The MUT will be holding the government responsible for any shortcomings,” Bonnici said.
Additionally, Bonnici said the union would not be engaging in a speculation game regarding positive cases in schools, particularly when social media posts are circulated online.
“MUT will not be joining in this charade of speculation,” Bonnici said.
“However we do expect the government to have its own communication procedures to inform affected educators, students and parents.
“The government must find the necessary mechanism to pass on information and do so consistently, so that no one engages in speculation that peddles incorrect information with dubious sources.”
Bonnici also stressed that educators could not stretch their time infinitely to accommodate both students who choose to attend class and those who preferred to learn from home, as the government has insisted is a straightforward exercise.
“Notwithstanding technology, models of timetabling and logistics, it is clear that educators cannot split between students at school and students at home. One group will suffer in any case,” Bonnici said.
The MUT said educators cannot be expected to perform miracles in schools where there are limitations based on human resources that have been magnified even more by the pandemic.
The union urged teachers and students returning to schools on Wednesday to hold up banners urging the government to “take the pandemic seriously”.
Reconsider the reopening of schools - UPE
In a separate statement on Monday, the Union of Professional Educators urged the Education Ministry to reconsider the reopening of schools, after several positive COVID-19 cases were traced to different schools after just one week of schooling.
“The UPE has been listening to the worried pleas of educators nationwide. Their concerns are real and tangible,” the union said.
“The Union of Professional Educators – Voice of the Workers, is thus asking the ministry to reconsider the reopening of schools, and to invest in an alternative strategy that will safeguard our educators, while educators are still healthy and available.”
If things continue as is, with the number of educators already worryingly low, and with patchwork solutions to conceal the fact from the general public, the fact that teachers are falling ill will only lead to one disastrous conclusion: schools will inevitably close and there will not be enough educators to cater for the online learning we are proposing.
PN calls for respect towards teachers
Meanwhile, in a statement marking World Teachers' Day, the Nationalist Party said that teachers deserved to be shown respect not only in words but also in action, particularly after continuing to show a sense of dedication to the profession despite the pandemic.
“The role of educators is becoming increasingly complex. In the past few years we have seen more teachers leaving the profession and an increasing amount of teachers who say the system is de-motivating,” the PN said.
“Respect means making more help available to teachers, more incentives and more training. The teaching profession is in need of more young people. Respect calls for investment in teaching conditions and incentives that encourage young people to the profession.”