Schools are still 23 teachers short

Nearly a month after schools re-opened classrooms are still missing 19 full-time teachers and four part-timers, according to Education Minister Evarist Bartolo.

These teachers include two music primary teachers, one PSCD primary teacher, and several teachers for secondary schools, he told Parliament on Wednesday.

"The number of missing teachers is constantly changing and this is an ongoing process," Bartolo said.

He was answering a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Therese Comodini Cachia on teacher shortages. The subject was at the centre of controversy last week when the Malta Union of Teachers protested at the ministry's decision to fill in the gaps by roping in university students.

When asked about the number of shared teachers, Bartolo said that 129 teachers were teaching in more than one school. This includes 25 teachers who are shared between schools within the same complex such as the Handaq secondary and middle schools.

Shared teachers

The list of teachers being shared includes teachers for ethics, home economics, arts, Spanish and history.