Returning schoolchildren remember Beslan tragedy

More than 40,000 schoolchildren returned to their classrooms yesterday on the first day of the new scholastic year.

In an expression of solidarity, the pupils observed a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Beslan tragedy.

Education Minister Louis Galea was present during a symbolic ceremony at the Maria Assunta School, in Hamrun. In his message to the pupils, which was also read out at other schools around the country, he said it was appropriate to show solidarity on such occasions, solidarity being one of the pillars of humanity.

Dr Galea said it was also on the first day of school for the children, teachers and parents of the Russian village of Beslan that tragedy struck and they came face to face with terrorists. The celebration turned into tragedy, with 300 people, half of them children, now dead, and others still carrying the memories of what they saw.

The Kummissjoni Djocesana Familja (Diocesan Commission for the Family) also referred to the Beslan tragedy in its message on the occasion of the first day at school. The commission said that while no Maltese children had experienced what their Beslan counterparts did, there were still children coming from families burdened with various problems, for whom teachers were a mother or father substitute.

"There are young people and children who are looking for an exemplary adult model in their teachers and a secure and peaceful place in their school," it said.

Labour Party education spokesman Carmelo Abela expressed his hope that this scholastic year would be a beneficial one for students and that any initial difficulties would be solved soon so that no time would be lost from students' education. He said the opposition recognised the importance of education and was ready to do its part to guarantee a better future for all students.