The Malta Union of Teachers today condemned the violent incident that occurred today at a school in Pembroke, with two educators getting hurt in the altercation.

In a statement, the union said it has been saying the same things over and over and unfortunately only incidents like this prove the union right. 

The MUT is currently in contact with the respective authorities and will continue to look into the issue at this school and assist members accordingly. It also requested the authorities to give the full support to all the staff at this school.

The MUT reiterates its appeal for the umpteenth time to the government so that schools are equipped with adequate security measures to ensure that similar incidents are avoided.

The teachers were hurt as a fight between students ended in a brawl involving parents at Pembroke secondary school. 

Police was called to the scene at after receiving reports that a fight between two teenage students had escalated after their respective parents were called to the school.

Ministry statement

In a statement, the Education Ministry said the school had sent for the parents of the children involved in the fight immediately after the incident. The situation escalated when the parents arrived at the school.

The ministry said it is following the case closely and is offering its support to the educators who were caught up in the incident. The police have also been informed and are investigating the case.

The ministry said it deplored all forms of violence in schools and would prioritise the introduction of harsher laws against such violence. The government would also give the necessary assistance to educators who end up as victims of violence in schools.

PN statement

In a statement the PN condemned the incident, saying that there are five colleges that do not have a Prefect of Discipline.

The party said it expects the government to take action, even in view of a recent MUT survey that found that up to 90% of teachers experience aggressive behaviour in schools.

It warned that more teachers would resign if the government does not tackle these safety issues. The PN said 57 teachers resigned last year while 9 teachers have already resigned this year as a result of difficulties they were experiencing.