Talks between the Education Ministry and Malta’s largest teaching union have collapsed, just days before schools are due to reopen to welcome students for a new scholastic year on Monday.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) said that education ministry officials had failed to adequately address “hundreds” of unanswered questions about how schools could safely reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The MUT said it will be holding an urgent union council meeting later in the day to discuss how to address the situation.
"It is evident that the implementation of health and safety measures and the curricular aspect is being carried out without any consideration or thought and this means that the health and safety of educators, students and families is being compromised," the union said in its statement.
Despite talks with the education authorities dragging on for weeks, the union said what is being implemented in schools is not what is being discussed.
Examples include the drawing up of timetables for secondary students, measures related to vulnerable educators and supervision in schools.
"This has led to a lot of uncertainty in the sector and it is becoming clearer that preparations started too late and the authorities are now in a state of absolute panic," the union said.
Schools had to be shut for the rest of the scholastic year in March, when the first COVID-19 cases were detected. Despite the number of new cases reaching all-time highs in recent weeks, the government has repeatedly said it would forge ahead with its plans to reopen schools for a new scholastic year on Monday.
A series of protocols were unveiled earlier in September as part of efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19. These include mandatory mask-wearing for educators and older students and stringent social distancing.
Educators have expressed concern over the implementation of the protocols laid out by the health authorities, saying schools were not ready to welcome students yet, especially as the number of new cases continued to soar.
A Times of Malta poll published on Sunday revealed more people believe children should steer away from schools amid the COVID-19 outbreak when compared to those who believe they should return to classrooms.