This is the MUT has given its initial reaction to the budget speech presented by the Government yesterday. saying that “within the educational context, on the whole the 2014 budget contains many positive measures which one can discuss and work on. These include courses for young people and apprenticeship schemes, the sabbatical for teachers and the increase in funding for University of Malta and its change in funding system.”

“With regards to the pilot project to introduce tablets, the MUT said that “this still needs to be discussed to make sure that such changes are part of the ongoing long-term educational reforms and not just a novelty token.”

“The MUT also needs to make sure that this pilot project will not add further burdens on educators who are still catching up with a multitude of reforms,” the Union said.

The MUT said it is in favour of the supervision scheme for children before school starts. “However,” the Union added, “a similar scheme is already in place that unfortunately is underfunded and understaffed. The Union hopes that there will be proper investment in this scheme this time round.”

The Union went on to say that it “is definitely in favour of the decision to open free childcare centres. However this needs substantial investment and proper working conditions to attract professional staff to take care of children of a very young age.”

“The MUT recommends that unlike previous experiences, the provision of resources including human resources within these centres is congruent to the budget allocated.”

The Union said that it “acknowledges positively the Government’s proposal to build five new schools and to modernise the existing structures. The Union expects the Government to provide it with further details during the coming weeks to guide members accordingly.”

“The budget speech also indicates that there will be more autonomy at a local school level. The MUT agrees with the plan and had suggested such measures in the past.” The Union said it “would appreciate if more details on this are published and recommends that Heads of Schools are not burdened with further bureaucracy.”

The MUT commented that it “expected the budget to tackle perennial problems such as informal education within the family context and in the community as well as transport problems for students and schools. It is hoped that the Government will provide concrete solutions on these in the coming months.”

“Last but not least,” the Union said it “embraces the Government’s stance against tax evasion and welcomes the commitment to reduce utility bills.”

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