Monday, 22nd September 2008 - 08:49CET

Updated: Schools reopen

Some 57,000 primary and secondary school pupils returned to the classrooms this morning.

The Education Ministry in a statement said the opening of the schools had gone smoothly.

It said that over summer, maintenance work was carried out on 30 government schools. The building of a new secondary school at Mosta was taken in hand while the newly rebuilt Boys’ College at Verdala had been completed and was welcoming its first students today.

Good progress was made on the building of the new secondary school at Victoria and Pembroke primary.

The ministry said that whereas in the last scholastic year, 17 schools were headed by an acting head, this had now been reduced to five out of a total of 101 schools. This had happened thanks to an agreement with the MUT which had encouraged more teachers to apply for headship posts.

The Nationalist Party in a statement said the opening of the new year presented new challenges for students and teachers which, with good will, could be turned into opportunities.

It said the government was continuing to invest heavily in education, building new schools, improving the infrastructure of others and increasing facilities.

The students of MCAST started or returned to their courses last week, and University students follow on October 1, although lecturers are threatening industrial action over a pay dispute.

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Sunday, November 22, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

Carmel Micallef (on 23/9/08)

At least MCAST exist and is delivering.

C. Grima (on 22/9/08)

It's true that school started today, but like other comments here I would like to report that my son applied at MCAST for the National Diploma in Computing and as yet we have received nothing. MCAST should contact applicants and inform them of their fate.

D Brincat (on 22/9/08)

The most expensive items kids have with them at school are books. While I sympathise that uniforms and school bags are expensive, you failed to mention the price of books, thus I suspect you don't plan on spending money on books. Consider yourself lucky and stop complaining.

ms lorenza camilleri (on 22/9/08)

everyone today took there children to school today and on everyone s mouth words of how expensive school uniforms are and the school bags and lists we had to buy for our children this is less the lists our children will start to bring each day for the next 3 weeks. there s been no word yet on the agrement that should have been reached, and as perents we have to buy said school uniforms and stuff from listed outlets by the school.can you tell us when this agrement will be reached as school started and even if we love our children and want to give them the best education we can a lot of money is pumped out of our pockets each year in this time of the month.thankyou.

mary Pace (on 22/9/08)

@joyce aquilina
my son too is like yours,waiting to continue his ICT,but like your son he,haven't heard from mcast.he don't know when or where he is going school

joyce aquilina (on 22/9/08)

my son and many others finished their first year at mcast last july and they are supposed to continue their I C T national diploma
but still has not received anything from mcast,they do not not when they are going to start
or where they are going to attend..what a disgrace.