The government must stop taking educational decisions which affect children without proper consultation, the Nationalist Party said in a statement reacting to findings by the Ombudsman's office.
The findings relate to two investigations conducted by the Commissioner for Education concerning matters affecting students with disabilities.
One related to the Wardija School and post compulsory education after a compliant by the mother of a 15-year-old student attending Guardian Angel Secondary School, while the other concerned students attending the Core Curriculum Programme in State schools.
In the cases, the Ombudsman noted that there were two common issues: the need for more structured consultation between the education authorities, the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability and the Malta Federation of Organisations Persons with Disability; and the need for better forward planning on matters affecting students with disabilities.
The Ombudsman's office said that the Permanent Secretary confirmed the Education Ministry's commitment to strengthening consultation with stakeholders and improving forward planning.
In a statement, the PN said that the investigations expose a "troubling approach" by the Education Ministry, which is that "decisions affecting children with disabilities and their families, and educators, appear to have been treated as a predetermined outcome rather than as matters requiring transparency, proper consultation, respect for established procedures and strong forward planning."
"This is not simply an administrative issue. Behind every admission decision is a child, a family and a right to receive an education in an environment suited to the child's needs," the PN said.
The party continued that it is particularly concerning that the Ombudsman had to intervene and that the Ministry's approach was found wanting.
"The Government cannot continue to operate on the basis that it can take decisions first and deal with their consequences, objections and institutional scrutiny afterwards," the PN said.
The PN said that it believes that parents deserve clear information about the criteria being applied, how decisions are reached and what avenues of appeal or redress are available to them, and that, most importantly, decisions concerning children must be taken transparently, fairly and in their best interests.
"The Ombudsman's intervention should therefore be treated as an opportunity for the Ministry to put its house in order - not as a box to be ticked," the PN said.
The PN called on the Minister for Education to publish the commitments given to the Ombudsman, explain precisely what changes will be made to the admissions process, and guarantee that families affected by these decisions will receive a fair and transparent process going forward.
"Education policy cannot be built around faits accomplis. It must be built around children, their families, fairness and accountability. The Government owes parents and children nothing less," the PN said.
The statement was signed by PN MPs Jerome Caruana Cilia and Graziella Galea, who are the party Shadow Minister for Education and Citizenship and Shadow Minister for Inclusion respectively.