Parents vent anger and frustration at school strike, government inaction and lax attitudes

A sudden union decision to order a two-day strike on the eve of schools reopening has left many parents angered and frustrated at the situation.

Reactions have ranged from anger towards the Malta Union of Teachers to blaming the government for inaction despite an expected post-holiday spike in COVID-19 cases.

The strike was ordered after government refused to accept the MUT's request for teaching to go online until a health assessment is carried out by the authorities of the pandemic.

State schools and most Church schools were set to reopen after the Christmas holidays on Thursday but strike action disrupted those plan

Opinion is split between the more cautious wanting a gradual return to the physical opening of schools and the pressing reality of working parents, who cannot stay with their children.

A single mother, who sends her children to a government school, told MaltaToday that she would be unable to supervise her children if classes went online. 

“I work between 8am and 4pm, I’m self-employed, so I don’t get sick pay, or leave. If school shifted online I would not be able to stay with my children and work. During the pandemic, I tried my best by setting up a room for them, but there is a lack of help because I cannot work and also be a surrogate teacher at the same time,” she told this paper. 

She said she worked a seven-day week to provide for her children and schools shifting online only made it harder. “I can’t imagine what it’s like for parents who cannot afford laptops, internet etc… life is easy for no one,” she said.

On Wednesday, MUT ordered a two-day strike, claiming that health advice given to the authorities not to physically reopen schools after the holidays was being ignored. The situation was compounded throughout the day when church schools collectively decided to start with online teaching.

The strike was labelled “illegitimate” by the Education Ministry, however, the union said the action was legal and condemned what it claimed was intimidation directed towards school management. 

The reaction to the news was mixed on Facebook. A mother complained that it was too short notice: “Once again, with no courtesy and a mere 10 hours notice, parents have been informed that the school are not opening on schedule!”

She lambasted the MUT, saying it was an “absolute disgrace” for the union to cancel school from one day to the next. “You have shown that you have absolutely no regard for the education of our children. Not once. Not twice… but three-times so far,” she said.

Another commenter thought that the government should have planned for such a scenario. “The authorities should have enacted stricter regulations before Christmas and New Year since the sharp rise in cases was predictable. But the business as usual prevailed,” she said, with reference to Prime Minister Robert Abela's statement that he wanted the country to return to business as usual by May.

Another parent lamented that children may be the biggest losers but noted that the virus gave no notice. "Why not blame those people who acted irresponsibility over the Christmas period without control. Remember teachers are also humans, have families and also relatives who fall under the same vulnerable category," she added.

The MUT said on Thursday that the strike was a massive success. In some cases students that did turn up to school had to be sent back home because no staff was available to supervise them despite the ministry's frantic efforts overnight to find the manpower to esnure schools are open.