Way back in the 90s I went to a girls’ secondary school and I still remember those teachers who lacked dignity.

A girl who was crazy about the guidance teacher fixed two appointments weekly with him or even more. Being a guidance teacher himself couldn’t he notice that this girl was simply mad about him and all she wanted was to be alone with him?

Our handsome art teacher dancing to slow music with one of the pupils during the farewell party – again, this girl had been aching for this moment the whole year.

Another teacher who was not young at all spent all the break hours chatting with the same girl.

Things keep repeating because there is no one shaking these irresponsible teachers.

I know another case which happened in another state school where a pupil and her teacher started seeing each other secretly. Once she left school the relationship continued in the open till they got married. The teacher involved is now a headmaster.

When I was in the fourth year at university, I remember looking back at being 17 and thinking what a fragile thing I was – let alone 15.

That’s the age of discovery, the only way it can be healthy, dramatic, distressing sometimes but true, is with actual contemporaries. Which is why this man had no place in her life. Indeed he was definitely aware it wasn’t right.

At 23, I had no interest in any girl younger than 20.

If they think they’ve seen it all simply because they’ve been saturated with the internet, they still haven’t got the mental instruments to cope, and perhaps never will. The fact they defend him betrays their wish to filter reality and its horrors.

It’s not right, even if they say so.

Touché.

A society that tolerates stage pornography as some sort of desirable art form would be asking for trouble from this sort of seduction of young pupils by their more “experienced” tutors.

Well said!

This was another case that happened as a result of the low standards in child protection.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120802/local/music-teacher-accused-of-having-sex-with-student-13.431241

It would be nice if he got to entertain fellow inmates with his acts.

My children are all older than this weirdo so, unlike Veronica, I am not frightened.

I am deeply shocked though.

I hereby urge all parents with a modicum of intelligence to start asking questions and to expect genuine answers.

From the school in question, from any other school and from the Education Department.

Who is responsible for this tragic mess?

Who is responsible for taking measures to try and ensure, as best they can, that whatever happened in Dingli does not happen again?

I expect the Education Ministry and Department to come down like a ton of bricks on the likes of this miserable freak who are in any way involved with children in education.

I, for one, expect no more and no less.

Evarist Bartolo, you have no part in this tragedy, but I expect that you do your duty in the appalling circumstances.

Weed all the perverts out of the country’s education system.

Whether they are taghna lkoll or not. Whether they are priests, monks or nuns. Whether they are actors, cool or simply liberal. LGBT or straight.

You have the ways and means to do it.

Please rid our children and grandchildren of this filth.