Too many children are waiting to be appointed a learning support educator, PN MP Graziella Attard Previ said on Friday as she criticised the "unacceptable" situation.
“It is even more unacceptable that one child has been waiting for a year and a half,” Attard Previ said.
The PN MP was addressing the media on the doorstep of the education ministry, following answers to parliamentary questions on the topic. She was flanked by education shadow minister Justin Schembri.
On Monday, Education Minister Clifton Grima said that there are 180 pending applications by children requesting an LSE, with the oldest application dating to October 2022.
A parliamentary question answered earlier this month also shows that 1,473 students have a full-time LSE and 2,729 have a shared LSE.
LSEs are assigned to children with specific educational needs, to ensure they can be integrated into mainstream classrooms.
“The period when students are waiting for an LSE is a formative time for students when they are forming their mental and psychological skills,” Attard Previ said on Friday.
“There is a lack of will to fix the situation, and it seems that the authorities have given up,” Attard Previ said.
She noted that Social Policy Minister Michael Falzon had failed to provide any solutions apart from saying that not enough people are interested in applying for LSE jobs and that there was an open call for applicants.
Education shadow minister Schembri said that educators' working conditions must improve if candidates are to be attracted to the sector and existing staff retained.
He urged the government to conclude ongoing negotiations with the Malta Union of Teachers over a new collective deal for teachers.
Opposition quick to criticise but has no solutions - Ministry
In reaction to the press conference, the Education Ministry said that while the PN MPs claim to have alternatives to better the education system, they did not present any solutions as to how this can be achieved.
The Ministry said not only has it taken action when it comes to addressing the growing number of requests for LSEs but it has strengthened the way LSEs are employed and authorised a second Statementing Board to process applications without delay, among other measures.
The government said that in 2022 some 808 students were approved to receive LSE services, with another 840 being approved in 2023, for a total of 1,648 students.
As of the end of 2023, the Ministry said that it has 2,862 LSEs employed in state schools, with the number of new LSEs being hired growing every year.
In terms of pending cases, the earliest case dates back to 2022 and does not involve a student with disabilities or a severe condition.
There are a total of 108 students who are still waiting for an LSE, some of which have been fully processed by the Ministry but for which the parents or guardian of the child did not reply to requests to meet from the statementing board.