A new school aimed at students who achieved just one subject in their Matsec O level exams opened in Gzira this morning, but Education Minister Evarist Bartolo admitted the authorities were finding it difficult to find enough pupils to attend.

Speaking during a tour of schools to mark the opening of the new scholastic year, Mr Bartolo said the new Ġużè Ellul Mercer School (GEM 16+) is aimed at encouraging such students to continue studying beyond second school.

The students are being offered a stipend, although the authorities are insisting that students need to be motivated to go to the school and should not go there just for the stipend.

The new school, he said, was intended to ensure that students who ended secondary school without qualifications did not fall by the wayside.  

A total of 31,513 pupils returned to their classrooms this morning as the new scholastic year started.

The Ministry of Education said €43 million have been invested on school maintenance and improvement projects.

This will be the third year of co-ed in state secondary schools, now covering Forms One and Two. St Claire College and the Sports School started earlier. There are now 4,900 pupils in co-ed classrooms.  

NEW CENTRES FOR CHILDREN WHO DO NOT KNOW MALTESE OR ENGLISH

New centres will also open throughout Malta for some 2,000 children who do not know Maltese or English.  

The ministry said that substantial investment has been made in the Alternative Learning Programme (ALP), based in Paola, offering a range of vocational programmes for some 260 students. Vocational subjects at SEC 'O' level will also be offered in second schools in  Agribusiness, Engineering Technology,  Health and Social Care, Hospitality and Information Technology.  

More physical education teachers have been engaged and the programme in this subject has been improved. The children's Body Mass Index will be monitored.  

The ministry said teachers, learning support assistants and kindergarten assistants will be getting new laptops during the year.