It's no holiday for schools in Gozo

August is usually the peak of the summer holidays for many. Yet schools in Gozo are still bustling with activity not only because of the different SkolaSajf centres spread across the island but also due to the amount of work underway to get the house in order by the time the doors reopen for the new academic year come September.

Over Lm2.5 million were pumped into the educational infrastructure in Gozo in the last seven years in line with plans, drawn up in 1999, to upgrade schools infrastructure there, a spokesman for the Gozo Ministry said. The ultimate aim is to create a more pleasant environment that stimulates learning for all children to succeed.

At the Agius de Soldanis Girls Junior Lyceum and Secondary School in Victoria five new laboratories are being set up. The project includes the installation of a new electrical system, a fire-security system and a gas system, solar panels for the generation of alternative energy, tiling, painting and plastering.

The new laboratories will be used to teach Design and Technology, a subject that includes topics such as textiles, resistant materials, food technology and electronics, including computer-aided machines.

At the Xewkija primary school, Lm130,000 have already been invested in a refurbishment project, most of which has been completed. Works in progress include those at the school hall, the construction of a soil-retaining wall at basement level and the upgrading of the school's main entrance, the administration area and the Kindergarten wing.

New apertures are being installed at the Zebbug and Ghajnsielem primary schools while maintenance works are in progress on the roof of the Nadur primary school where membrane is also being installed.

The electricity supply system of the Xaghra primary is being upgraded. A new stage lighting system and audio equipment in the school hall are being installed.

Sir Mikelang Refalo Centre for Further Studies, Gozo's only Sixth Form complex, is a hive of activity with works underway to install air conditioners and upgrade the sanitary facilities and the electrical system.

A lot of attention is being focused on accessibility for all children. In fact, besides the installation of ramps, widening of doorways and the adaptation of sanitary facilities for students with disabilities, projects in hand include the installation of lifts in several schools, such as the Agius de Soldanis Girls' school, that connects the different floors and amenities, while works on a new lift are expected to start soon at the Victoria primary school, the ministry spokesman said. Permits have just been issued by the Malta Environment and Planning Authority for a lift at the Sir Mikelang Refalo Centre for Further Studies but works will not start before next summer in order to avoid disrupting the daily school routine, the spokesman explained.