Students with disabilities lose support as specialised teachers re-assigned to classrooms

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD) is alarmed by reports that teachers within the National School Support Services (NSSS) are reportedly not able to support students with disabilities due to shortages.

In a statement on Wednesday, CPRD Commissioner Oliver Scicluna said that CPRD was notified that a number of teachers who provide specific services, such as teachers for the visually and hearing impaired, early intervention services, as well as other important services being provided by NSSS would stop providing such services due to COVID-19 operational and logistical matters. 

Instead, the commission said it was informed that these teachers would be assisting the mainstream cohort due to having classes split up into bubbles which thus required more teachers.

Today students in State and church schools across the island returned to their classrooms for the first time since the pandemic began in March after the reopening of schools was postponed by a week. Entry has been staggered over a week.

“Whilst understanding and appreciating that the current situation requires extraordinary measures, it should not be at the detriment of students with a disability or those requiring specific support,” Scicluna said.

Scicluna said that such services cannot be viewed as secondary services but as essential mechanisms for particular students. “In this regard, the Commission urges the responsible authorities to re-evaluate the situation to provide the necessary support to all of its students, as is their right.” 

The commission implored the authorities not to include teachers who are providing the services within the NSSS in the equation, to mitigate the teacher shortage within mainstream schools. 

“CRPD is committed to rendering Maltese society an inclusive one, in a way that persons with disability reach their full potential in all aspects of life, enjoying a high quality of life thanks to equal opportunities,” Scicluna said.