The Nationalist Party reacted today to the inquiry report on the SkolaSajf fiasco, saying that Education Minister Evarist Bartolo was shifting the blame and refusing to shoulder political responsibility for his own actions.

The party said the inquiry report showed how Mr Bartolo and the government took rushed decisions which were too late for the Foundation for Educational Services and the Directorate of Educational Services to implement.

As expected, the inquiry board appointed by the minister himself had failed to scrutinise decisions taken by the minister himself in this case.

“It is traditional of Mr Bartolo to set up boards to try to hide political mistakes made by the government through lack of foresight, lack of planning and lack of serious leadership,” the PN said.

The party added that the report also indicated that Mr Bartolo should assume political responsibility for the appointments he had made to the board of the Foundation for Educational Services and the appointment of the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Education.

This, it said, was the second time that Mr Bartolo has shirked from assuming political responsibility and shifted blame, the first having been the decision to stop the stipend to some students, the PN recalled.

It called on the minister to assume his responsibilities and to be serious in the decisions he took.