34,997 students to return to State schools next week

A total of 34,997 students will be returning to State schools starting from Wednesday, 25 September, up until the last of the kindergarten students on 1 October, to begin the new 2024-25 scholastic year.A statement issued by the Education Ministry on

By: independent.com.mt

Sep 26 2024
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34,997 students to return to S

A statement issued by the Education Ministry on Saturday said that the final few preparations for the upcoming school year are underway.

“On Monday, 23 September, 8,237 educators in state schools will return to their workplaces, and then on Wednesday, 25 September, 29,086 students will begin their new school year, ranging from the first year of primary school to the eleventh year of secondary school,” the statement read.

Moreover, a total of 5,911 kindergarten students will start their school year on 1 October. By the time all students return to their classrooms, a total of 34,997 students will have started at state schools.

“The new school year begins after a summer filled with preparations ranging from administrative and academic to infrastructural and digital projects. This year, 235 new professionals, including educators, were employed, and 544 contracts for other professionals were renewed,” the statement said.

The Education Ministry said that this school year will feature 3,449 free school transport routes, of which 931 are for state school students.

A total of 33,761 students from kindergarten to secondary school (14,031 from state schools and 19,730 from church and independent schools) will benefit from this service.

During the summer, three major educational infrastructure projects were completed by the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools, with an investment of €64 million.

Additionally, work continued on 18 other projects, including the renovation of playgrounds in schools and childcare centres, with an investment exceeding €500,000.

Approximately €2 million was also invested in around 500 other maintenance projects carried out between March and September by workers assigned to the colleges and the Precincts Management Unit within the Logistics Office of the Permanent Secretary. Other projects will continue to be implemented in the coming months.

In recent months, the Ministry said that the Information Management Unit team has been hard at work on the digital infrastructure sector, completing 78 projects, including digital infrastructure at the new school in Msida, the creation of digital classrooms on Microsoft Teams and My School, and a security system for students' digital devices, effective even after school hours.

“Immediately after the end of the last school year, intensive work began to prepare for the school year starting next Monday. This effort ensured that everything necessary—whether academic, infrastructural, or administrative—was in place for the start of another academic year, fully equipped for both educators and students,” Education Minister Clifton Grima said.

Grima explained that a major exercise was conducted to ensure that every class in all state school grades would have an educator for all subjects.

Meanwhile, significant work was also done to improve the educational environment in which educators and students will spend the coming months.

“This was not just infrastructural work but also digital and technological improvements to enhance the educational experience continuously,” he said.

Grima wished all educators and administrative staff in all schools the best, while thanking them for their commitment and dedication for the good of our children.

He extended his best wishes to all the students starting another school year.

“Ultimately, the goal is to give them every possible opportunity to achieve their individual aspirations,” Grima said.