Shiny new school in Victoria prepares pupils for work life

Students at the massive new boys’ secondary school in Victoria, which forms part of the Gozo College, had a welcome break from their lessons yesterday when the Prime Minister came to inaugurate the building.

The school, built at a cost of €8.1 million, replaces both the previous area secondary school and the Junior Lyceum. It caters for 700 students and 100 teachers and is the sixth school to have been built by the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools.

It boasts nine science laboratories, eight workshops which include machine tools, specialised language labs for French, Italian, German and Spanish and a 9,500-book library. Form Five students are given a taste of working life with job-shadowing experiences.

In what is a rather unusual outcome for any project of this magnitude, the school cost the government €700,000 less than the initial estimate of €8.8 million.

Prime Minster Lawrence Gonzi said: “This is a happy occasion for students and parents. Every boy who has worked with and touched the new equipment surely felt motivated to participate more fully in lessons and study.”

This was especially the case for those who had attended one of the old schools, such as Lucian, Dr Gonzi said, referring to Lucian Cam­illeri, the Form 3 student from Nadur who was presenting the event.

The Prime Minister said the state school system was being upgraded, with a wider range of professionals to cater for students, such as resource workers, psychologists, counsellors and speech therapists, modern equipment such as netbooks, interactive whiteboards, as well as support services for school staff.

More Gozitan students were choosing to further their studies, he said, with 920 students from across the channel studying at the University of Malta. Twenty years ago there had only been 189.

Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono said there had been a leap in education in Gozo in the past years, thanks to the government’s investment in the sector.

Education Minister Dolores Cristina said the new school formed part of a revolution in the educational system taking place in Malta.