Minister meets protesting students
A large number of students from the Boys' Secondary School in Sta Venera, walked to the Ministry of Education in Floriana today to protest over plans for their school, the former Umberto Calosso, to be closed in October.
Education Minister Dolores Cristina, who met a delegation of the students, said they would be transferred to other schools where the environment was much better.
She explained that Umberto Calosso had originally been built to serve as a brewery and was unsuitable as a modern school.
The minister assured the students that they would stay together in their respective classes. Next week, they will be taken on familiarisation trips to the schools which they will be transferred to in October.
The process will also be explained in meetings for parents.
Teachers and staff in the Sta Venera school have been invited to state where they prefer to work from the next scholastic year.
The minister also told the students that it would have been better had they requested the meeting before holding the protest.
The students were then taken back to school in transport laid on by the ministry.
The ministry in a statement denied that the old school would become a centre for illegal migrants.
Popular Stories
Update 3: Woman found dead in car,...
Updated: Woman dies in car crash
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Part of Dwejra 'Azure window' collapses
The end of the bar that ‘never closed’
Bundy does not know whether to...
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
This WAS the night - Kurt makes it...
Petrol price up 6c
In Discussion
Updated - Jason Micallef demands...
Gozo tunnel could take 5-7 years to...
CABS remote controlled aircraft shot...
Carm Mifsud Bonnici resigns after...
Joseph Calleja condemns portrayal of...
Updated: Labour would give...
CABS drone shot down
Second group of migrants arrives
Adrian Vassallo in scathing...
6 Comments
Post comment
Please sign in or create your Account to post comments.
Philip B Cortis
Apr 26th 2010, 18:20
As a former student of the school, I can understand that the building is not that adequate for school. The main reason being that to go from one class to another, most of the cases one has to pass from open spaces not from corridors etc. However the building makes only a small fraction of the school. The main part is done by the staff. I was there when Mr Zahra was the head and Mr Mansueto was the ass head. We (like it is now) had different teacher for every subject, however I always said that I had ONLY 2 teachers. The others were friends. That’s why Umberto Calosso has a very special place in my heart. I said it a thousand times, but it’s not enough – Thank you Umberto Calosso staff.
G. Desira
Apr 26th 2010, 16:02
Trusting that the students will be given the chance to choose the school in their locality. At Zejtun we have a very large and nice secondary school for girls only. Zejtun boys have to travel to other localities every day for their education. What is the education department waiting for to mixed the seconday school as some private schools are?
mario gellel
Apr 26th 2010, 15:42
"The ministry in a statement denied that the old school would become a centre for illegal migrants."
Let's see if you hold for once to your statement. Promises are becoming a joke.
Patrick Sacco
Apr 28th 2010, 02:40
We'll have to wait and see, won't we Mr. Gellel?
RGatt (Bormliz)
Apr 28th 2010, 09:54
Another joke statement is 'Xoghol ghal kulhadd fi zmien tlett xhur' Mr. Gellel. Everybody knows what Mintoff had to offer in the 70ies and 80ies for those who had nobody to give them a push. Do you?
John Micallef
Apr 26th 2010, 15:17
Knowing our Maltese Ministers, they are so heavily busy working in our favour to improve our country. The minister would have ignored the parents & students asking for a meeting. I see it a joke the minster saying this!!
Have all these meetings & familiarization visits been done if their were no protests? I seriously doubt.
BTW, i use to attend the same school. I wonder how can that it has taken such a long time to realise that this building is not good as a school. As we did a similar protest some 22 years ago when at that time Dr UGO Mifsud Bonnicci was an education minister. When we told him about this, he replied saying we were exaggerating. BTW he visited our school to inaugurate the widening of a stairs between the upper & lower part of the school. Before this stairs all students had to pass from a 1 meter wide corridor to cross from one side to the other. Than he came to inaugurate a nice concrete stairs That was not even tiled. (may be for a better grip!!?? LOL)