Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this morning inaugurated a new girls’ secondary school at the St Ignatius College in Tal-Ħandaq.

The school is adjacent to the boys’ secondary school, to allow students to enjoy common facilities and participate in co-ed activities.

Touring the school with his wife Kate Gonzi, the Prime Minister was particularly impressed with the library, which enjoys natural light and picturesque views looking in the opposite direction of the adjacent industrial estate.

Education Minister Dolores Cristina said it was a privilege for her to be opening the fifth school in this legislature. She pointed out that thanks to changes in the educational system, the children in these schools never experienced streaming or the common entrance exam. Instead, they were provided with a clam transition to secondary school and were benchmarked to ensure support is given to those who need it most.

Speaking during an inauguration ceremony, Dr Gonzi said his Government had kept its promise to build a new school every year as part of an infrastructure project which will continue to do the same until 2020.

He said the Government also invested in technology, with more than 2,500 interactive billboards and a laptop for each teacher.

The next step, he said, was to equip all students with their own tablets incorporating educational applications and programmes.

Dr Gonzi said he was proud that education in Malta was the most inclusive in Europe, with less than one per cent of the island’s children educated at home.