Headmaster Jonathan Portanier Mifsud has denied intimidating maths teacher Joanna Mallia when he asked her whether she had requested approval to speak out on the Il-Każin debate show.“Regarding the case currently being discussed, all I did as school head was call in the concerned teacher (to be precise, she came to me herself because she needed a signature),” he said.He confirmed that he asked Mallia whether she had requested approval “as any public official would be expected to”.He also asked her for the names of students she mentioned during the debate, who were allegedly not attending school due to stress caused by school-based assessments.“This was so that we could support them, as the well-being and best interests of students always come first and foremost.”“As of now, I have not received any names.”“I would also like to clarify that at no point was I intimidating anyone. On the contrary, we had a respectful and mature conversation.”“Unfortunately, I feel that we are reaching a point in this country where simply talking to someone is immediately turned into an accusation of intimidation on social media.”“At the end of the day, I would also like to point out that when it comes to SBAs, we have had many discussions and meetings with different stakeholders, who have always emphasized that assessments do not necessarily have to be in the form of tests.”“Instead, they can be presentations, discussions, homework, research, or other methods adapted to the level of the students.”“I will conclude by saying that I regret having to write this, as I do not like to seek attention or engage in social media discussions. In fact, at our school, we have often discussed, both formally and informally, the harm that is done when issues are taken to social media instead of being addressed directly.”“I will not respond to any further comments. As an educator who is passionate about this profession, I firmly believe it deserves better than this.”Mifsud also stated that no has ever pressured him to make any decisions or dictated what he should say or do, especially when it comes to teachers participating in public discussions about the education system.“In fact, this is not the first time teachers have spoken publicly, with the only difference being that they requested prior approval, which has NEVER been refused. There have even been instances where approval was requested at very short notice, and it was granted without any issues,” he said.•