The school, which currently has some 46 pupils, caters for children with learning difficulties mainly due to mental and physical disabilities, particularly acute mental disabilities, a member of staff told The Malta Independent.

The event also marked the school’s 15th anniversary, which was commemorated by a plaque unveiled by Education, Youth and Employment Minister Louis Galea.

In a short speech, Dr Galea praised the school’s contribution over the years, saying that it was making a good name for itself. The school, he said, had

developed into a resource centre not only for its regular

students but also for those who attend occasionally.

The aim of our education system, he said, is to provide good quality education to all students which calls for a maximisation of resources, integrating special schools both among themselves and with regular schools. “In the future, we should explore the possibilities for the school to build networks with regular schools,” he said.

The OptiMusic is one of the most creative recent additions in the areas of education and rehabilitation. The device is operated by the children who can play music or recorded sound, by interacting with coloured light beams. By the use of a small, hand-held board – “a palette” – the children can interrupt the beam and trigger a sound.

The machine helps stimulate the children’s senses. In fact the OptiMusic donated to the school is a mobile version, so that it can be brought to the children rather than the other way round.

Commenting to TMID, a mother present at the recital said that apart from helping the children interact and control their environment, the device provided a fun activity. “The joyful expression on their faces when they interact with the colours and the music beams is a great satisfaction in itself”, she said.