Pupils at St Joan Antide school, Gudja, have provided DNA samples via mouth swabs that were tested in a lab in the UK to research their ancestry. Officials from Living DNA in the UK subsequently visited Malta to film the children analysing the results of the DNA tests.
The exercise was part a two-year Erasmusplus project called Know Your Ancestors that the Gudja primary is involved in together with other schools in the UK, France, Croatia and Poland.
A spokesperson for the school said the project was aimed at challenging prejudices and fighting racism and instead instil empathy and promote inclusion. “The project outcomes clearly show that the fight is not between races but between right and wrong, between good and evil,” the spokesperson said.
In other project-related activities, teachers at the respective schools visited the UK for training in digital skills, ancestry and the use of Google Drive.
They subsequently delivered training sessions to pupils on geneaology, family trees and migration.
All information on the project is being uploaded on to a website to disseminate the information gathered. The project is supported by Erasmusplus, the European Union Programmes Agency, the Curia’s Secretariat for Education and the Education Directorate.