MUT boss calls for more education funds

Not enough funds have been allocated to education in the 2015 Budget, teachers' union (MUT) president Kevin Bonello said. 

"The budget for next year allocates 10% more funds to education than the 2014 budget had," Bonello said “however, most of this money has been allocated to existing schemes, rather than on new research-based ones.”

He added that the country needed to start researching education strategies in the long-term “but we need more funds to be able to do so. For example, the Alternative Learning Programme is a good idea on paper but doesn't always work out in practice. Through research, it can be improved."

He went on to appeal for a budget revision with regards education when parliament convenes to discuss education next week.

The MUT chief called for the setting up of a parliamentary permanent education committee that would discuss long-term strategies and whose personnel would not change upon a new party's election to government.

Speaking at a conference organised by the MUT held to discuss legal issues and ethical implications faced by educators who work with minors, Bonello also addressed the issue of child abuse.

A large chunk of discussion at the conference dealt with educators' fear of false child abuse. Last summer, a catechist and a Gozitan priest were both charged with child abuse. However, while the courts initially prohibited the publication of the priest's identity, no such restrictions were provided in the catechist’s case. 

"Police investigations and court decisions are often inconsistent," Bonello said, citing these two cases. "This creates a strong level of uncertainty amongst educators."

"The word of a child often supersedes that of a teacher," shadow education minister Joseph Cassar said. "Educators can be challenged in court for very minor actions, leaving them constantly on edge. If the situation remains as it is, fewer people will want to get into the teaching profession and more and more teachers will want to leave it. This will ultimately be at the detriment of children too, so it is crucial that educators are allowed to work in a secure environment."