Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Education Minister Louis Galea, accompanied by MP John Dalli, yesterday officially inaugurated the St Ignatius secondary school in Qormi during the second day of an open weekend at the educational facility.

Speaking yesterday, Dr Gonzi described the new educational facility as a “diamond of a school”, which had been transformed from a group of Nissen huts to a top grade educational facility.

Speaking yesterday, Dr Galea observed that with the opening of the school, the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools, which had been set up in 2001 to create new schools and to modernise existing facilities, had reached its half-way mark – having now seen the fruition of e70 million (Lm30 million) invested so far of the total e140 million (Lm60 million) that is to be spent on the educational system.

Also speaking at the inauguration, Dr Gonzi remarked that it was educational facilities such as this that would give Malta’s children the environment in which to make the “leap in quality” required to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Some 130 more projects, he added, are in the pipeline through the FTS framework.

Dr Gonzi also observed how the school’s use of alternative energies and environmentally-friendly systems was a “model for all others to follow”. The school uses solar energy collected from the roof to heat its water and to produce electricity through photovoltaic panels on the roof.

Moreover, the school’s hallways are lit by condensed sunlight hitting the roof being channelled down into the school while waste water is reused for the school and its grounds.