St Albert the Great Community College

Both The Sunday Times and The Times recently published a couple of letters on St Albert the Great College. Some highlights from the life of the college may help clarify things.

On July 16, 1948, the Dominicans took over Flores College, an established educational institution housed at 150, Old Bakery Street, Valletta. The building was formerly the property of the Rospigliosi family. The college was renamed after one of the great saints of the Dominican Order, St Albert the Great.

The first staff meeting of St Albert the Great College took place on September 20, 1948, and the first day of school was on October 4, 1948.

The Dominicans began looking for a new site to house their college as the one at 150, Old Bakery Street, was badly shaken during World War II. The Dominicans acquired the premises at 153-160, Old Bakery Street, on October 23, 1950. However the building of the new premises had to wait until 1958 to commence.

School at the new premises started on October 2, 1961. Inauguration Day was on March 26, 1962.

On October 2, 1963, the Preparatory (or Elementary) Classes were moved to Jesus of Nazareth Priory, Sliema. This served as the junior branch of the parent-school in Valletta. The Sliema feeder-classes functioned until the summer term of 1967 when the need was felt for their transfer back to Valletta.

As regards the future, we can say that we have been toying with the idea of moving out of Valletta for the past ten years or so. However, the formal planning and work on the project has only been going for the past six years. The project is not about the building of new premises per se. It is about the possibility of fulfilling an educational strategy.

The primary reason that made us decide to move out of Valletta is space. We are continually striving to obtain an extra corner to be able to cater for the ever-increasing needs of our students.

Secondly, we would like to provide a continuous three to 16 educational experience for our students. Educational research, and indeed experience, confirm time and again the benefits of such a provision. We have always been committed to mixed ability schooling. We cannot, however, continue to provide such schooling adequately without the necessary resource of space.

We also chose the site for the new premises to be in the south of Malta on purpose. We would like our presence there to make a difference, given that illiteracy and lower educational achievement are statistically present to a greater degree.

The place would be called St Albert the Great Community College as we hope to provide facilities for area residents who would be able to make use of the premises for other educational, sports and social functions after school hours.

Our philosophy is "maximise use to have a better return". We are not referring to money but to what we would like to achieve: the well-being of all those with whom we come in contact.

I hope that these few lines may help dispel any fears, quell any anger but above all build the much-needed trust in the new St Albert the Great Community College.