Everyone and his aunt had something to say about the industrial action organised by the Malta Union of Teachers last Thursday. This fact alone indicates that the primary objective of the MUT, drawing public attention to the problem of violence in our schools, was achieved.

Let me start by stating that I support any legitimate industrial action as being a fundamental right of each and every worker. I feel that I am echoing the sentiments of the majority of the Maltese, however, when I say that the MUT’s over-reaction to the Education Minister’s suggestion that heads should be in attendance during the one-hour-long action was unwarranted.

The MUT must realise that without the support of the Maltese public, all its endeavours to rectify matters will be useless. The MUT must surely appreciate that it must always be perceived as being representative of a profession that has the well-being of Maltese children as its primary aim. Withdrawing into an “us-and-them” siege mentality will never give the desired results.

The way forward is through dialogue and by means of a collective drive towards radical change, when this is necessary.

It is a fact that one in seven Maltese school-leavers cannot read and write following 11 years of schooling. I am sure no one in his right mind considers this to be an acceptable state of affairs. Who is to blame? Is it the teachers, the parents, the students themselves or the system? All of us must shoulder our responsibilities if we even want to dare to hope that things are going to improve.

The Brothers of De La Salle, a community which has had a profound impact on the local educational scenario, introduced an educational concept in Liverpool to address the problem of disruptive or violent children which has the backing of local authorities.

Students from subscribing schools who persistently exhibit anti-social traits are sent, when it is considered necessary, to a Lasallian centre for periods which may range from a few weeks to a full school term. This is only done after rigid screening by a team of professionals who consider the child’s social and intellectual background and after consultation with parents. At the centre, a programme is drawn up for each student to help him or her adjust to school and class requirements with the help of parents.

This may be an initiative worth considering locally. Students who regularly display violent tendencies towards other teachers and fellow students must be shown the error of their ways before they are released from our educational system onto society at large.

Students who display severe emotional or intellectual deficiencies must be handled and helped with a degree of care which may require more attention than can ever be offered in our schools. If society persists in ignoring this segment of our student population it will be doing so at its own peril.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is a Nationalist MP