The Malta Union of Teachers said on its website that it is currently investigating an incident involving a grandmother who is claiming to be related to the Minister of Education and "to be only a mobile phone call away".

This grandmother, the MUT said, has a history of harassing the staff of a primary school and is now inventing allegations on another member of staff.

The school in question is a primary school in the centre of Malta, The Malta Independent has learnt, and the incident involves what the "grandmother" is claiming to be child abuse by a member of staff who, at the time this alleged abuse took place, was not in class.

The union has asked the Department of Edcational Services (DES) to carry out its own investigations and these are currently under way. The union does not exclude giving directives to the school in question to protect the integrity of its members.