Time to review security at schools

Harrowing details of the brutal assault suffered by a primary school headmistress were released yesterday by the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT).

The case, which took place at the Vittoriosa Primary School, saw the headmistress dragged to the ground by her hair, before she was repeatedly kicked and punched by a student’s angry grandmother.

According to the MUT’s description of events, this was a senseless and unprovoked attack, with the victim saying she had never even met her aggressor. The brutal beating, it would seem, was administered because someone at the school had shouted at the woman’s grandson.

In a completely disproportionate reaction, the woman meted out a punishment ISIS would be proud of.

The case was dealt with swiftly - the assault happened on Tuesday and the woman was in court and sentenced the following day. The woman, who cannot be named by order of the court, received a suspended sentence and a €4,000 fine. Some said the punishment meted out was too lenient, others that it was fair and

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not just a ‘slap on the wrist.’ We will not go into the merits of the sentence here.

But, police and court efficiency aside, this was not the first assault on a teacher in recent weeks, and one can safely say that it will not be the last either.

Just a few weeks back, an assistant head at the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary was assaulted by a security guard who was asked not to smoke inside the school premises. A few months back a Cospicua man was fined €2,500 for slapping a teacher.

This latest issue has resurrected the debate on safety at schools, with some people advocating for the introduction of security officers.

When asked about the subject yesterday, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo told Times of Malta that a balance had to be struck between security measures and ensuring schools were not cut off from the community. Bartolo said that he did not want schools to become “besieged fortresses”, with security personnel in every corner.

But it would seem that the minister is going a bit overboard with his comments. No one has suggested that schools should be shrouded in barbed wire and surrounded by minefields, watch towers and floodlights.

Assault on teachers is becoming increasingly more common, it seems, and our teachers need not only to be protected by the law but must also be able to feel safe at their workplace.

The fact that an angry grandmother made it past the front gate and into the headmistress’ office and assaulted the public official is worrisome, to say the least.

The next incident might have more serious consequences. Something needs to be done. We must first acknowledge that we Maltese do not live in a bubble but in the real world, where there are people who would do harm not only to teachers but also possibly to students. This is not about alarmism but about realism.

Safety at schools, for both students and teachers, has to be a priority.

A discussion on safety at schools, which should also touch up on first aid and fire safety, needs to happen now and the necessary arrangements should be put in place, before a more serious incident takes place.