Medical School building offered for St Augustine College extension

T Bezzina

Mar 6th 2012, 20:18

@ K.Muscat. Please not that Independent schools are not business generating. The fees paid go mainly towards the teachers' salaries and facilities for the school, since unlike govt schools, they do not get any 'free resources' and have to keep up with what is new in the educational sector. The schools were built, paid by hard working parents. The land was bought, not given, from private individuals, not from the government, and parents are still paying for it, through registration fees. Also, permission was given through MEPA.

K. Muscat

Mar 6th 2012, 00:13

I am so disgusted with all the stupid excuses brought for this school, when there are other schools, privately funded, built in the middle of what was once tranquil countryside! Which, are now causing excessive traffic congestions to a main road cause they don't even have an adequately wide enough road to meet up with the excessive amount of parents that drop off their kids themselves!

Guess these schools are not blocking any view, well they just ruined it! But then I wonder how much funding was there to give the right to these people to build their schools, and is it because no "big head" lives in the vicinties or is it because this one is a church school and not some kind of big business generating school? Don't these people have a right too? Why is it that these kids get to have an old building while the ones with the big paying parents get OUR countryside?

Alfred Cassar

Mar 5th 2012, 20:35

Certu nies ma tikkuntentahom b'xejn, taghmel x'taghmel dejjem tlaqqatha maghhom. Gemgem jissejhu dawn

GEORGE CUTAJAR

Mar 5th 2012, 19:37

Government has once again shown it has the education of our children at heart not merely by words and hot air balloon statement but by tangible and hard facts, Surely this is an offer that cannot be refused.

The alteration costs will certainly not exceed the cost of building a new school and once accepted the students' parents will be happy and the residents can rightly enjoy their property.

Franco Farrugia

Mar 5th 2012, 18:58

I think it is an excellent idea. The school can either rent or buy this disused building that used to house the Medical School.
I don't think that PM Gonzi met these people, and anyway, a PM meets everybody. That doesn't mean he is interfering with MEPA.
I don't know why someone is saying that Gonzi is giving away public land. Who said so?
Another remark: putting children first, whatever the cost. Hmmm... Who said anything about putting children first? Mela issa naqghu mal-art ghax irridu skola.

G Debattista

Mar 5th 2012, 18:56

hope it is viable :))) st augustine's college deserves a junior school. it is one of the best schools at the moment :))

Joe Grech

Mar 5th 2012, 16:05

''It is understood that the college authorities showed interest in the possibility of taking over the Medical School building but rejected the other two options.
College rector Fr Alan Scerri said the viability of using the Medical School building is under consideration and much depended on the alteration costs involved.''
What a scandal if the Medical School building is given for free - or for peanuts - to this Church School! Will the P.M. really do that? He must be out of his mind to even try! As for the Archbishop - does he think that this ''solution'' is indeed a just one?

Joe Grech

Mar 5th 2012, 16:01

Do we understand that just to get votes in the next election the Hon. Prime Minister will be giving away this government property to the school authorities?
Could Dr. Gonzi explain to the taxpayer WHICH constitutional legislation allows him to do that?
Has he not learned from past mistakes: when he gave ex-Ministers Lm20000 each simply because they were grumbling that he had dropped them out from his new Cabinet - and he just wanted to shut up their protests: when he similarly shut up his dissenting backbenchers by giving them 10000euros of citizen money as ''part time work remuneration'' and asked them to go and carry out ''duties'' at the Ministries;
when he gave himself and his entire Cabinet a rise of 500euros weekly....
Either the Hon. P.M. does not know his constitutionally laid down constraints or he is just too arrogant to see reason. Pity that!

Mr Ernest Vella

Mar 5th 2012, 15:37

x'tambih bini bla uzu...il-bini ha jinghata bi hlas jew b'self nimmagina...il-Gvern sewwa ghamel li offra dan il-bini BIEX ULIEDNA LKOLL JIRNEXXU U MA JIBQA LURA HADD. Min qed jikkritika l-Gvern missu jara f'daru xi jsir...illum Kazin politiku sar Day Care Centre ghal Anzjani...morru sas-Siggiewi u araw!!!

Mr Andrew Camilleri

Mar 5th 2012, 15:30

Why has Dr. L. GOnzi held this meeting? is he now trying to influence MEPA's decision makers> If MEPA is truly independent , Gonzi should have refused to meet these people and pointed them back to MEPA and its rules. But as usual, Gonzi says one thing (MEPA is an independent authority) and then does the complete opposite.

Joseph M. Saliba

Mar 5th 2012, 14:54

This is another electoral gimmick. The Power of Incumbency should not give gratis public land as this belongs to the nation and no one else. If somebody in power wants to solve tlhe problem created with the College Authorities he should offer his private land and not the property belonging to the nation. I believe that this case should be treated in the same way as in case of Charles Polidano whose application to convert the residence of the former Grandmaster De Rohan in Balzan into a development of terraced house with swimming pools has been rightly refused. So what is the problem ????? Is it a two ways two measures policy. Is it because the Church is again involved??? So what the State is supreme and no one is above the law. That is the Rule of Law entrenched in our Constitution.

John Aquilina

Mar 5th 2012, 14:48

The government's proposal, which was based on Malcolm Mifsud's recommendation makes sense. Planning policy should be aimed towards using again existing buildings and not developing new ones in scheduled areas.

B Testa

Mar 5th 2012, 14:18

It seems that some people are becoming more equal than others. The church schools were never offered alternative sites for the building of their primary schools, however since this affected a PN mayor and other PN supporters, it was important not to loose their vote. Ah yes maybe this was in the interest of the country !!

m. borg (slm)

Mar 5th 2012, 14:09

Anything to gather votes even giving away public property.. Let's hope this is not another GO debacle.

I'd say let them build the school as the Augustinians planned.

France Scicluna

Mar 5th 2012, 14:07

Put children first, whatever the cost.

B. Storace

Mar 5th 2012, 13:04

It is understood that the college authorities showed interest in the possibility of taking over the Medical School building but rejected the other two options.

College rector Fr Alan Scerri said the viability of using the Medical School building is under consideration and much depended on the alteration costs involved.

Indeed a very sensible thing to do without breaking open virgin ground and destroying another much needed lung so necessary in this day and age. However, I would have thought that to build a new wing from scratch entails a cost of some sort so why is it that the reverend father's decision depends on alteration costs.....and what about the cost of the land or will this be another freebie. Dear Office of the Prime Minister in government please consider your steps carefully before acting hastily and remember that what's good for the goose is just as good for the gander. I am concerned.

Antoine Vella

Mar 5th 2012, 12:42

I'm still waiting to hear what ENGOs, in particular Din l-Art Ħelwa and Flimkien għall-Ambjent Aħjar think of the whole affair.

Joseph M. Saliba

Mar 5th 2012, 12:35

Is the Medical School land being given to College Authorities for free or in exchange of the site pertaining to the College where building permits have been refused. If it is given to find a solution to the problem I should think this is very unfair as this is the people's land and the College Authorities should be treated in the same way as other developers.

David Smith

Mar 5th 2012, 11:53

Of course!! Aren't the authorities aware of the huge parking problems on the grounds at St. Luke's Hospital ever since Malta Enterprise took over one of the buildings on site? Aren't they aware that it has become impossible for people visiting elderly relatives at Karen Grech Hospital to find adequate parking? The problem is compunded by the fact that Pieta Local Councils insists on having a residents' parking scheme, making it impossible to even park outside the grounds of St. Luke's?

Thomas C. Cassar

Mar 5th 2012, 11:36

Tal-Misthija hargu tant permessi ta` bini f'widien, sahansitra biswit Forti Sant'Anglu tellajna blokka flats moderna imbaghad ma dan il-kullegg imxejna hekk, l-aqwa li s-sindku Nazzjonalista tal-lokal tibqalu l-veduta mill-bedroom.

Patrick Pace

Mar 5th 2012, 11:30

So, after all the fuss and preferential treatment being demanded by the college, the most logical of solutions is (hopefully) being applied by – as many like me suggested – utilising an unused ALREADY DEVELOPED SITE for this school. This “homework” should have been done prior to all the needless controversy and would have avoided the resultant chaos.
May I now humbly suggest to the college rector to still take over the gardens the school wanted to destroy and develop them into a garden of sustainability for their students to study and appreciate Maltese nature in general. They could use it, amongst other initiatives to plant seeds of local endemic trees and shrubs that could be then handed over to the government for planting across Malta. They may refer to other schools who for years have been promoting this initiative for guidance if required.