I sincerely thank Franco Farrugia (TMID 7 April) for giving me the opportunity to express again my concerns about the incredible holiday of 4 June.

A person like Mr Farrugia does more harm than good to his beloved teaching profession. It is indeed sad to note that a supposed-to –be professional person can be so personal, and finds it that hard to understand basic, logical English.

I never said that teachers asked for a holiday and honestly, it does not make a difference to me who in the first place came up with this brilliant idea. Mr Farrugia’s long but ‘empty’ letter (that could have been easily presented as a statement involving two sentences, at most, without launching again a personal attack) was similarly addressed to another correspondent on another newspaper.

So, it remains a fact that all glorified school employees will have yet another holiday whereas for the other second class citizens, it remains a question mark till the very last minute.

Like the story of Adam and Eve, Adam still accepted the forbidden fruit, but he was more than merely criticized….

Mr Farrugia tried hard to convince me that the Education Minister was the prime driver for this recommendation. But I don’t blame the poor minister. School employees are considered as the second strongest united force after hunters and trappers. Probably he also knows how selfishly demanding school employees can be at times. For example, on the same paper of April 27, 2005 there was an interesting article whose headlines read, “MUT not against retirement at 65 but says teachers should be exempted”.

However, if there are truly heroic people like Mr Farrugia who want to convince me that deep down they do not want this extra holiday, they should report for work on June 4th and do some clerical duties. But in order to be credible, I suggest they invite the media to report this historic event!

Alternatively, Mr Farrugia should publish a letter to the authorities concerned and signed by his “thousands of colleagues” (like a sort of petition), showing that they are willing to report to work on that day and urging them to stop discriminating between other Maltese workers because San George is for all Malta. Otherwise it’s all bluff.

I do, however, admire Mr Farrugia’s sense of humbleness. Of course, and rightly so, brainy teachers do not see why they should have another holiday. Why attract so much public attention when they have months of holidays to be enjoyed! On the other hand, one extra day off, which for most of us implies eight hours away from work, will surely make a difference, especially for working mothers who will have to take vacation leave in order to stay with their kids.

Sorry Mr Farrugia if the truth hurts but it’s a free democratic country. Just because I voiced my opinion supported with plain truth and facts such as that we have to survive on just 24 days of vacation leave, in “Teachers yes, others no” (TMID 4 April), does not mean that I disrespect the teaching profession. Ironically, for vacation leave entitlement they tell you that it is comparable with other EU countries. I however wonder how comparable are Maltese school holidays with the rest of the world! I’d better stop here….

But no General Franco will stop me from saying what is black and what is white.

C. Micallef

Fgura