Fourteen independent schools have formed an association to voice their concerns and ensure their relatively small but important sector remains viable.
"We do not want direct government assistance because we want to retain our autonomy. But parents must continue to be given the choice of independent schooling," Bernie Mizzi, president of the independent schools association, said during the association's launch yesterday.
The ISA will in the coming weeks present a report to the government containing an analysis of the sector by PricewaterhouseCoopers and a list of policy recommendations.
Ms Mizzi said the partial tax rebates on offer to parents sending their children to independent schools might need to be enhanced and grants introduced so that the private schools did not suffer as a result of the reforms being undertaken by Church schools.
A number of new Church schools are planned in order to do away with the common entrance exams to Form 1 and allow all pupils in the Church's primary schools to find a place in its secondary schools.
The government has increased its financial assistance to the sector for this purpose.
Ms Mizzi said independent schools had 7,000 students and 97 per cent of them moved into further education. This was thanks to a number of factors, including the fact that independent schools were pioneers in mixed-ability classes, differentiated learning, inclusion, co-education and embraced all faiths.
During the launch, Education Minister Dolores Cristina said there was a misconception that the government did not hold this sector close to its heart.
She insisted she was the minister responsible for children in all of the educational sectors. "My experience of independent schools has been very positive," she said, adding she was looking forward to the ISA's report because it would make her work much easier."
"This can be the blueprint of our strategy," Ms Cristina said, describing the independent sector as "strong but vulnerable".
Alex Torpiano, who was at the launch as a parent who sent his children to private schools, praised the sector and warned against it dying out. He said foreign models such as those in Holland and Sweden had found a way of reducing elitism and enabling more parents to choose private schooling.
The schools that 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.