Record pass rate for Valletta's 'school from hell'

When people mention St Elmo's primary school in Valletta the first reaction is generally a negative one. Teachers tremble at the thought of being transferred there and sometimes I wonder whether the name of the school should be changed to something like primary school from hell. Unfortunately, this is nothing more than a wrong perception of the school, a perception fuelled and blown up over the years by the negative publicity the media gave it.

When I was young, I was sent to a Church school so I didn't really know much about the school. All I knew was that some of my younger relatives still attend the primary school there; some of my friends used to go there too as did my mum. So I couldn't really understand how this school could be as disastrous as it was being portrayed.

A few months ago, I was lucky enough to receive an invitation from the headmaster of the school which I enthusiastically accepted and I was pleasantly impressed by what I saw.

I was delighted to see a school bubbling with life, embellished with colourful artefacts made by the children themselves. The teachers present were all eager to nurture these young brains and it only took me a few minutes talking to some of them to realise these were real teachers. They did not only possess a degree but also a vocation and made it their mission to help mould the children in their care into the men and women of tomorrow. On top of all this, I met a dedicated administration team which really cared about the pupils. Moreover, I came to know that there is a dynamic school council in which the parents are actively involved.

On another occasion I was also invited to a school concert where the young offspring of the city displayed their talents.

Having said that, I don't want to portray St Elmo's primary as being the model school in Malta, far from it. It has a lot of problems and absenteeism is one of them. But the unfortunate thing is that we live in a world where only negative news makes audience. In fact, the negative record of the school's absenteeism rate was quickly splashed on the front page of various newspapers and highlighted during news bulletins on the broadcasting media. The sad thing about this is that the effect of this news item on the young students of the school was that the school got more negative press and the teachers, who have been struggling to help their children, became demoralised.

In this country, rather than placing our children at the forefront of our agenda, we are ready to sacrifice them to gain political mileage. Quite an expensive price, I might add, to make politics. Why can't we, for once, look objectively at the problems in this country, throw away these stupid political issues, propose ways of working together and take concrete action? Let's not forget that here we're talking about our kids. Can we really afford to put them bang in the eye of political typhoons?

But St Elmo's primary school does not only have a negative record this year, it has two very positive ones. Two records which no one bothers to mention, maybe because they are not considered as being news worthy enough.

St Elmo's primary got the highest number of passes in the Junior Lyceum exams in its entire history and one of the girls even managed to get the highest grades ever. For me, they mean a lot; they are not only two good reasons to celebrate but they are a very good opportunity for me to reflect deeply on society in Valletta. This makes me conclude that things are really improving in Valletta and that if we work more and invest more resources in the city we can really help make a positive change in the social fibre of society.

In conclusion, I cannot end this article without expressing my most sincere gratitude to the administration of the school, the teachers, the parents of the children and the volunteers for the wonderful results achieved. Were it not for their hard work, the children there would have never got these positive results.

My final appeal is to the politicians: Let's not waste our time on creating sensational news items just to gain some political mileage at the price of sacrificing our children. Let's put aside our political differences and work together to construct a better future for our country.

Dr Dingli is a member of the Valletta local council representing the Nationalist Party. His remit includes youth, employment and social problems.