A teacher at St Albert the Great College dodged what could have been a €23,000 fine for insulting college rector Fr Aaron Zahra, after the rector told court that he had forgiven her.

Maria Scicluna Mantas, who is still a teacher at the college, landed in court after posting 'vulgar' Facebook comments directed at Zahra last summer when he fired Mario Mallia as headmaster.

Mallia, who had been headmaster for 16 years, was fired after standing by two inclusive programmes at a church-run school in Valletta.

The college said he was fired for 'insubordination', but hundreds of parents and school staff took to the streets and social media to protest his dismissal, while others resigned. 

Zahra was especially irritated by a number of Facebook comments and in August threatened to report staff to the police after the school issued two calls seeking applicants to replace Mallia.

When Zahra and Scicluna Mantas met in court on Thursday, he asked for all legal procedures against her to be dropped. He said they had discussed the issues and that the teacher was still working at the school.

The magistrate asked her to apologise to him in court and he accepted her apology.

The case was presided over by magistrate Charmaine Galea, who warned the teacher that had she been found guilty, she could have been fined up to €23,000 and have her teacher's warrant revoked.