Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1543191
THERE is no legal clarity as to whether schools can search student schoolbags at will, un- ion boss Marco Bonnici has told parliament's Education Committee. The Malta Union of Teachers president was addressing the committee during a session on Monday that discussed securi- ty and bullying in schools Bonnici said there was no le- gal clarity as to whether school administrators and teachers have the right to search stu- dent bags. "The practice has always been that teachers do not touch the bags themselves but ask the re- spective student to empty the pockets," Bonnici said. The declaration caught MPs by surprise. Committee chair Rosianne Cutajar said at the next session she will be invit- ing the police and the Attor- ney General to help clarify the legal parameters. She later told MaltaToday it is necessary to understand what the legal situation is so that everyone feels protected at law. "If there are legal lacu- nas, the committee can pro- pose legal changes to ensure everyone's safety at school, in- cluding students, teachers and school staff," she said. Marco Bonnici said there is no uniformity between differ- ent state schools on the fre- quency or pattern of schoolbag searches. "Some schools do it all the time; others sometimes and others never," he said. WWW.MALTATODAY.COM.MT WEDNESDAY EDITION €1.00 WEDNESDAY • 11 FEBRUARY 2026 • ISSUE 977 • PUBLISHED EVERY WEDNESDAY AND SUNDAY CONTINUES PAGE 4 No legal clarity on schoolbag searches EDITORIAL • PAGE 11 CONTINUES PAGE 4 Malta registers three-point improvement on Corruption Perceptions Index MALTA'S Corruption Perceptions Index score improved by three points to 49 when compared to last year, according to the latest league table produced by Transparency International. Malta's ranking on the index re- leased yesterday also improved by five places when compared to 2025. The country now ranks 60th from 180 countries and territories around the world. Last year Malta recorded a score of 46 points, and ranked 65th. KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Uncertainty over the legality of searching students' schoolbags has raised fresh concerns about school safety, with MPs now seeking legal guidance following union testimony in parliament ANALYSIS | LESSONS MALTA CAN LEARN FROM THE EPSTEIN FILES PAGES 2 AND 3 Police on the sight of the Pembroke school knifing incident (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday)