The Malta Union of Teachers yesterday issued directives to sectors of the teaching profession in connection with the way in which the 90-minute weekly curricular development session (CDS) is being implemented across primary schools.

It said that for over a year it had protested with the authorities that the implementation of the CDS was not being carried out according to the reform agreement of 2007. It had drawn attention to point out that the implementation of the CDS required an adequate complement of peripatetic teachers and other supply full-time or part-time teachers as established in the agreement, and that the authorities had also bound themselves to employ relief teachers to this end.

This has not occurred, there has been virtually no further recruitment in the primary sector and relief teachers have not been employed, leading to maximisation of workload for existing staff rendering service in primary schools.

“The union is seriously concerned that the present situation is leading to frustration across all teachers in the primary sector,” the MUT said.

In these circumstances:

1) Primary class teachers are not to draw agendas or write minutes for CDS.

2) Peripatetic teachers who are not being given the 90 minutes en bloc for CDS are directed to take the 90 minutes CDS each Friday during the last 90 minutes.

3) Peripatetic teachers are to receive time-table instructions based upon curricular exigencies from their respective E.O. and

4) Complementary teachers are not to take whole primary school classes.

The directives are to hold until the authorities recruit adequate support teaching staff, especially relief teachers.