Union says teachers were not consulted over tablets

The teachers’ union yesterday complained that neither political party had consulted it over a pledge to provide tablet computers in classrooms, which it described as an educational reform. Union president Kevin Bonello yesterday questioned whether the Nationalist and Labour parties were really listening to teachers since practically none of the Malta Union of Teachers’ electoral proposals had been taken on board. “We agree that tablets are good educational tools and we’re not saying we oppose them. But they are another reform,” he said, adding teachers were already overwhelmed by ongoing changes. The union felt there were more pressing educational priorities than investing millions of euros in tablets. These included reducing the number of students in classrooms to ensure teachers could cope better with mixed abilities and addressing basic issues such as cleanliness and maintenance. “Last week, the union received a petition from a State school with over 600 students appealing for cleaning staff,” he said. Another school complained prostitutes were loitering outside the building. School safety was a major concern that urgently had to be addressed. In the past six working days,...