I simply cannot understand why the government thought it fit to order a school holiday on 4 June, the day after the canonisation of Dun Gorg Preca.

The official reason given is that it was to allow those many teachers, some of whom are members of the Society of Christian Doctrine founded by Dun Gorg, to visit Rome to attend the ceremony.

But why should children miss out on a school day because of this? How many teachers have asked for special leave to be able to fly to Italy? Is it possible that there are so many of them that schools could not cope?

My children, who attend a Church school, have already had to miss one day of school this year, when Mgr Paul Cremona was made Archbishop. That day, the ceremony was held in the evening and therefore there was no need to give students (and teachers) a holiday.

This time it is even worse because the ceremony will be held on a Sunday, and yet a school holiday has been announced for the day after that.

As a working mother, I will have to take leave myself to be able to stay with my children because I have no one to do that job for me. Is this the way that the government wants to encourage more women to work?

I think it was a bad idea, on the government’s part, to give this extra holiday.

P. Mifsud

Hamrun