On this paper (10 December), I read the news headlines saying, ‘Energy self-sufficient school inaugurated’. A day earlier, I also read that the government intends to build five more schools, practically one new school each year!

It is nice to have such state-of-the art colleges equipped with energy saving features and at the same time offering the latest technologies for teaching students. Why not? So far, so good...

However a few questions come into my mind.

1. With birth rates going down, do we really need all these schools?

2. With MUT always lamenting of great shortage of educators (the reason they get is because of stress in teaching), wouldn’t opening more and more schools aggravate further their complaints if the rate of new teachers graduating every year is not abreast with this every increasing demand?

3. As it is, the government’s intends to introduce electronic attendance verification systems in all the public service. I wonder whether these modern schools are equipped with palm readers or similar gadgets!

4. They say health comes first and foremost. If millions of funds are being pumped to build new modern schools, why can’t we have a couple of thousand euros being allocated for the building of a few new government pharmacies and the modernisation of the existent ones to help solve the problem of queuing for medicines, instead of venturing with the highly expensive Pharmacy of Your Choice Scheme (POYC)?

C. Micallef

Fgura