Twelve primary schoolchildren from Kirkop got some extra help with their homework to help them catch up with their peers in a €20,000 government funded pilot project.

In collaboration with the school staff, the local council identified 12 children, aged between six and 10, who were finding difficulties doing their homework.

For an entire scholastic year between Mondays and Fridays, the children were coached and assisted with their work by teachers at the Kirkop council offices after school.

Mayor Mario Salerno, who oversaw the project, said there was a big improvement in children’s work. “Children who were careless and uninterested became disciplined and focused in their work,” he said.

The programme also used food as an incentive with the children being given a meal before starting their homework. However, early in the programme, the staff realised it worked better if the children were given a light snack of fruit while the meal was given to their parents to be eaten later.

The children grew to love the programme and continued to attend crafts classes in summer, even when no food was distributed, Mr Salerno said. In fact, they were sad when it was over.

Describing it as a “great success”, Mr Salerno said the project formed part of the council’s commitment towards social development. The council “delicately” helped these children who were suffering from “hidden poverty” by guiding their performance and behaviour.

This initiative was praised by Home and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Labour local council spokesman Stefan Buontempo.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici praised the council for focusing on social problems and said there were EU funds that could be used in the sector. He urged other councils to focus on similar projects.

“All schools have these problems. There isn’t one school that doesn’t have children who find it hard to keep up and these can be helped. You have made a priceless investment,” he said.

Focusing on such problems from an early age would solve future problems because the children often ended up having problems with the law and were caught up in a vicious circle, Dr Mifsud Bonnici added.