Teachers' union meets Robert Abela but talks still ‘inconclusive’
A meeting between the Malta Union of Teachers, Prime Minister Robert Abela and Education Minister Owen Bonnici on Wednesday did very little to address issues on the reopening of schools, with the union describing the talks as “inconclusive”.
The MUT said that after it had declared that talks with the education authorities had failed on Wednesday, its council held an urgent meeting. A delegation then met Abela, Bonnici and other government officials.
“This meeting was inconclusive and so the MUT will continue with talks today and its council will once again be meeting later in the afternoon,” the union said.
Schools are set to reopen on Monday, despite COVID-19 concerns, with teachers and parents claiming a number of issues remain unresolved. Malta closed its schools in March when COVID-19 first hit the island.
The government has insisted that the reopening of schools is to go ahead, while unions want schooling to commence online while issues related to the COVID-19 protocols are ironed out.
Teachers who spoke to Times of Malta on condition of anonymity said they were being kept in the dark, often only learning about updates through media reports.
Some teachers in state...