A new school would be opening in Pembroke in September and part of another in Victoria would start being used, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said this evening.

Speaking during a ceremony during which the party paid tribute to former parliamentary secretary Richard Muscat at the party’s Birkirkara club, Dr Gonzi said construction works had also been undertaken on the new Mosta school and the Junior College was being extended.

The government invested in teachers, providing them with modern tools to implement their work in an effective manner. A total of 9,527 laptops and computers were given to teachers and placed in classrooms, he said.

Dr Gonzi paid tribute to Mr Muscat, who, he said, had served the country in several sector including broadcasting when plularism was only a dream and when the country and the Nationalist Party were going through a very difficult time.

Mr Muscat had sacrificed his and his family’s personal life to give the party and the country a service. He had administered the party’s broadcasting from Ragusa as a political mission to promote the right of freedom of expression.

Because of this campaign, the socialists had implemented a campaign of persistent threats denying Mr Muscat his right to return to Malta. He returned as a free citizen after the 1987 election.

Mr Muscat was also parliamentary secretary for youths, culture and sports.

Dr Gonzi said that everyone now acknowledged the country’s progress in the education sector and in the coming weeks and months the government was to continue working to ensure the success of all young people.