Nearly 20 government schools raked in close to €200,000 from renting their premises to language schools over the past two summers.

The rental of premises and facilities is common practice and earns the schools involved extra cash to spend on upgrading projects.

Last year, the Education Ministry gave school heads a free hand to rent premises to language schools or for social functions, provided they did not impact schooling in any way.

According to information tabled in Parliament, 18 schools, including two in Gozo, rented their premises to language schools for the teaching of English in the summer months.

Primary schools in Msida, Balzan, Gżira, Pembroke, St Julians, San Ġwann A and B, Sliema, Mellieħa, St Paul's Bay, Marsascala and Nadur as well as secondary schools in Pembroke, Victoria and Mtarfa, the lyceums in Blata l-Bajda and Sliema and the Higher Secondary School in Naxxar were all rented out to language schools in summer.

Payments ranged from €20,600 in the case of the Mtarfa school to €1,100 for the renting of the school in Nadur.

In Msida, an agreement between the school and the language school saw payment in kind. In summer of 2008, the school received €1,870 in cash and €2,789 worth of blinds and, in the following year, the school received €3,719 in cash and €940 worth of sun blinds.

According to the National Statistics Office, a total of 83,288 foreign students visited Malta to learn English in 2008, down by 677 when compared to 2007. Figures for 2009 are not yet available.