The government's plan to stop absenteeism from schools was well intentioned, but seems to have had unforeseen effects that are resulting in class disruption.

Speaking to this newspaper, the Malta Union of Teachers said that while intention as good, there was a lack of forethought. The union says that many children who were absent a lot of the time and are now being 'forced' to attend school, simply have no motivation to learn. If this is not bad enough, some of them are causing trouble and disrupting the rest of class. With the benefit of hindsight, it was bound to happen. As a result, the union has issued directives to teachers to not take classes if there is a student inside who was absent for more than 20% of the last scholastic year.

Aside from the problems caused by misbehaviour, teachers said that when students have fallen so far behind, particularly in secondary school and the gearing up to school leaving examinations, it is very difficult for them to catch up.

When a teacher has to then go over the basics and try and coach the student, it becomes unfair on other students who either don't get the attention or have to press ahead on their own. This point has also been brought up by teachers who feel that the rest of the class are not getting the attention that they need and deserve.

The union has given the government until next week to find a solution to the impasse. But what could that solution be? In most European schools, one finds a sort of 'rehab' class, where students who have fallen far behind their peers are given specialist teaching and coaching by teachers who are especially trained to deal with such situations. This system could be set up, but it also needs a lot of study. One cannot simply benchmark on attendance rates or grades alone. One would have to see how a child might perform in this new environment before being able to make any decisions of whether they should remain in a class dedicated to those who need to catch up, or whether they can rejoin their peers say three months or six months down the line. Children should not be thrown away. Their families might have social problems and with a little bit of coaching and the right attitude shown at them, they might improve. On the flipside, there are other children who simply do not want to learn and have no interest in improving their lot. For that, sadly, there is no solution.

What is certain is that the education of the majority of students in a class should not be compromised. Absenteeism needs to be addressed and attendance rates need to be improved - but not at the cost of others.