The newly-formed Independent Schools Association said today that while the schools wished to retain their independence and therefore did not seek government funding, financial assistance should be given to parents so that they would have a proper choice of where to send their children.

The association was formally set up today during a meeting at St James Cavalier which was also attended by Education Minister Dolores Cristina.

Association President Bernie Mizzi underlined the importance of independent schools, which are currently responsible for the education of 7,000 children.

She said independent schools have existed to offer choice to parents. The independent schools were the first to introduce mixed-ability classes, differentiated learning, inclusion, co-education and an embracing of all faiths. 97% of students move into further education at the end of their compulsory schooling.

It was pointed out that while state schools are funded by the government, and Church schools receive substantial state funding, little assistance is given to the private sector.

Ms Mizzi said the new association had commissioned a report on the viability of the private schools sector. The report, being drawn up with assistance by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, would include recommendations of how the government could help this sector in a way which would maintain its independence but also ensure that parents were able to include it among the options for the schooling of their children. Such models could include the enhancing of tax rebates currently given to parents of private school children.

Ms Mizzi said the private schools had introduced many concepts which were now being adopted by the state and Church schools, but as those two sectors were reformed, it was important that independent schools retained their importance within the education system and such changes did not impact the independent sector negatively.

The minister said she had been lucky, as a parent, to experience the education of her own children in state, Church and private schools, and her experience of private schools was a positive one. She agreed that it was important that parents had a choice on where to send their children and said that as minister of education, she did not like distinctions between state, Church and independent schools.

Several parents attended the launch meeting, with one of them, Alex Torpiano, pointing out that assistance to enable parents to send their children to private independent schools helped to allay fears of elitism in those schools. He said that models such as those in Sweden and Holland should be studied by the local authorities.

The schools which currently form the association are San Anton, St Catherine's, St Martin's, San Andrea, St Edward's, St Michael Foundation, Little Angels, Mariam Al Batool, Chiswick, Thi Lakin, Garendon, St Michael, Noddy's and Newark

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