The Malta Union of Teachers is calling on authorities to allow teachers whose maternity leave falls during the summer months to be compensated in the months in the following scholastic year.

At present, teachers working in private and church schools are given twice the benefits if they happen to take their maternity during the summer months, the MUT said. However, teachers working in state schools are not being compensated.

The MUT is calling for a half-way measure for state schools, for at least one month in summer to be taken as leave during the scholastic year. MUT President Kevin Bonello said that female educators are being discriminated against.

Addressing a press conference this morning, Mr Bonello questioned the pre-election pledge on sabbatical leave. He said that an initial meeting with authorities was held months ago; however the union received no feedback since then.

Highlighting a number of issues teachers were faced with at the start of this scholastic year, Mr Bonello said that a number of foreign students enrolling in schools are unable to speak in English or Maltese, and the education department has no projection on the increasing numbers of such foreigners.

Mr Bonello added that laptops given to teachers a few years back have become absolute, and these need to be replaced.

The MUT is also proposing that secondary school children are taught practical skills such as entrepreneurship. However, due to time constraints these need replace lessons in other subjects. Mr Bonello suggested that Religion, as a subject unit, has short syllabus, and thus some of the Religion lessons can be replaced.