He said this financial situation at the university was affecting, first and foremost, the students and, secondly, the staff. It was also affecting the smooth daily running of the university and the standard of education it offers.

Mr Bencini said that a few weeks ago, the Water Services Corporation stopped providing water to the university after it failed to pay the bill. Although this situation was remedied almost immediately, he said, the fact remains that the lack of finances is adversely affecting the running of the university, which has almost 9,000 students.

At the beginning of March, The Malta Independent carried a story about a lack of photocopy paper in the university library. This was one of the first indications of the university’s financial problems, even though the communications coordinator dismissed this claim.

Mr Bencini said the financial situation has led the university lecturers to decide not to prepare hand-outs for the students. This was creating unnecessary tension between the university’s students and staff, he said, adding that it is incomprehensible for the university to be denied the items it needs to be run well.

A similar problem was being encountered by the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School in Naxxar, said Mr Bencini. Apart from money, the school also lacks space for students to be taught. Students end up attending lessons in the chapel and on the conference room balcony, among other places.

The MUT president also said the union was concerned about the worrying number of qualified teachers who have still not found a job. Around 40 per cent of teachers who graduated last year have still not found a job related to their degree.

He said that this year, the number of qualified teachers leaving university will be 205 and there will be 225 in 2005, 200 in 2006 and 240 in 2007. The fact that more than 1,000 will be leaving university with a degree as teachers with no jobs available for them was indeed worrying. Mr Bencini said that all European Union member states, apart from Italy, are encountering problems with regard to the employment of teachers.

He also complained that the hundreds of teachers who were made redundant when the government decided to close all trade schools and open the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology required re-training, which is a waste of useful resources.

Mr Bencini also spoke about the sectoral agreement the union wanted to discuss with the government. He said that even though the government had promised that these discussions would begin by January 2003 and be concluded by June that year, the union still does not have a clue when they are expected to begin.

“It is not acceptable. We submitted our proposals but wherever a proposal meant that the government had to spend money to introduce the changes, it was immediately shot down. An example was the union’s proposal to establish a limit of 25 students for every classroom. This would have involved increasing classrooms and employing more people but, in turn, would have meant higher quality education for our schoolchildren,” he said.

Union officials will be meeting Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to discuss several of these issues. This meeting is scheduled for the eve of the union’s biennial conference being held on Thursday at the Dolmen Hotel in Qawra.

Among other topics, the conference will deal with several motions presented by MUT members in various schools. These include the fact that married couples are not allowed to teach in the same school, the setting up of a Teaching Council and the lack of space at the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School.

Mr Bencini also spoke about a resolution that will be discussed at the conference. This echoes Education Minister Louis Galea’s declaration that by September 2005, schools will be divided into clusters, making it easier for teachers and students alike. The resolution calls for a wide consultation process prior to the adoption of this new system, especially on the working conditions of present and future teachers.

“In principle, the union agrees with this idea, but we also have many questions. Will we have a new foundation? Does this process mean that our schools will be privatised? Will the Education Division merely act as a regulator? Quality education is expensive: can Malta afford it?” Mr Bencini concluded.