Teachers' union disappointed by budget that failed to address problems

As other budgets under this administration, yesterday’s budget speech failed to address the education sector’s needs and instead only mentioned previously-known facts, the Malta Union of Teachers said in reaction to the government’s budget for 2018.

In a statement, the MUT said that it had been expecting some sound recommendations to deal with the serious shortcomings in the sector, where professional educators who were leaving the public sector were then being offered incentives to continue offering the same services.

“While building new schools is important, the MUT would have expected a serious plan for the upkeep and maintenance of the older schools in the system,” the union said. “At the same time, a better solution should have been found to ensure that school funding would no longer be dependent on the number of students.”

The MUT welcomed measures to improve services for disabled students but insisted the government should start discussing inclusion on a broader level to address situations where everyone was suffering – including the students.

The union said it expected the section agreement for all teacher grades to be negotiated – and concluded – within a short timeframe and without further delays.