An investigation has been launched after a girl aged 12 chased another student holding what a butter knife taken from the staff kitchen.

The incident took place at Naxxar Middle School on Tuesday. Both girls, aged 12, were sent home.

An education ministry statement later said that the girl who grabbed the knife was immediately stopped by an educator.

It is understood that the two girls had an argument during break-time. The altercation became physical and they pulled at each other’s hair before they were separated by teachers.

But one of the girls ran to the school kitchenette, according to Times of Malta, picked up a “butter knife” and attempted to chase the other girl before being stopped.

Eyewitnesses said the incident caused a considerable amount of fear among students and staff.

The two girls’ parents were called in and disciplinary action was immediately taken against both students, the sources told the newspaper.

MUT wants the discipline policy updated

In a statement Thursday, the Malta Union of Teachers said it had been in contact with the Education Ministry about the incident to ensure that necessary support was provided to the school and sanctions were taken.

"The MUT repeats its position on zero tolerance for student misbehaviour and it supports all educators who are working in schools and facing such difficult situations," the statement said.

The union urged education authorities take a firm stand when dealing with such situations and said it has requested the Education Ministry to initiate discussions to update the discipline policy for state schools.

Education ministry statement

In a separate statement, Education Minister Clifton Grima said that any act of violence is not acceptable and he thanked the educators for the intervention to control the situation.

The ministry then gave an account of the incident, saying that two 12-year-old girls came to blows during break-time.

The fight was stopped by educators who were responsible for the children's supervision and the two girls were sent to the school administration office.

One of the girls entered the kitchenette and grabbed a butter knife, but she was immediately stopped by the educator who was accompanying her.

The school administration sent for the girls' parents to explain the situation. Disciplinary steps have been taken against both girls, and both are also receiving assistance from the psycho-social team of the college.

PN appeals for government to provide schools with more resources to reduce bad behaviour

The PN released a statement appealing for government to provide educators and workers in schools with more resources to help them tackle the challenge of bad behaviour being shown by a "substantial number" of students in various schools around Malta.

It also asked for more youth workers, social workers and other professionals who can work with those who have serious difficulties of bad behaviour.

The PN said that a safe environment for students and educators should be an absolute priority for every school.

An intensive and immediate study should also be carried out to establish why schools are facing serious challenges when it comes to maintaining discipline, the PN said.

The PN also asked for an internal investigation into the video that was published by students from Handaq on social media, that showed them vandalising and causing havoc around the school.