Church schools accuse union of causing 'alarm and anxiety' among students, staff

The Secretariat for Catholic Education and the Association of Church Schools says teachers' union UPE is engaging in 'irresponsible behaviour' by publishing COVID-19 cases on its Facebook page

Church schools have called out UPE's decision to publish cases of COVID-19 cases on its Facebook page
Church schools have called out UPE's decision to publish cases of COVID-19 cases on its Facebook page

The Secretariat for Catholic Education and the Association of Church Schools (CSA) has condemned the “irresponsible behaviour” of the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) in publishing information on its Facebook page about COVID-19 cases in their schools.

CSA said the information was causing unnecessary alarm and anxiety among students, parents, and educators.

“Church schools are doing their utmost to inform parents and school staff as soon as a positive case is identified in one of the schools. This is being done openly and transparently always to ensure that the health and safety of students and staff remain a top priority,” the CSA.

Today alone, the UPE posted three separate times regarding possible COVID-19 cases in both church and governments schools.

The CSA said that the UPE’s behaviour was not “helping the current situation in Malta,” which is already a “daunting” challenge for all schools.  

For this reason, the CSA has called on parents to stay in contact with their children’s schools to keep up to date with “objective” information about COVID-19 and safety procedures in schools.

“In this challenging time, Church schools will continue to take the necessary health care measures to ensure the right to education to more than 17,000 students,” the CSA said.