Malta

Teachers are unionized and negotiate with the government on policy, wages, and benefits. The largest teachers' union, the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT), was founded in 1919 and now represents teachers at all levels, including university faculty. The Government-Malta Union of Teachers agreement raised teachers' pay grades to those corresponding to Civil Service professionals. The 1998 Education Act recognized teaching as a profession. The state provides scholarships for in-service and professional training for teachers. In the 1990s the Malta Union of Teachers worked to increase the professional status of preschool teachers.