Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this year received a total of 1,300 Form 4 students from 25 different state, Church and independent secondary schools, who visited Castille as part of their Social Studies curriculum.

The last group to visit during this scholastic year was a group of girls from St Margaret’s College, in Żejtun. Following this visit, Dr Gonzi showed the group around three main rooms – the Ambassador’s Chamber, the hall where Cabinet meets every week, and his office. He also gave them a brief historical account noting that Auberge de Castille has served as the Prime Minister’s office for 30 to 35 years. For a time before this, Auberge d’Aragon housed the same office but Castille is the most prominent auberge in Valletta as it overlooks Floriana and the Grand Harbour.

He also showed them different artefacts he has received as gifts from the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, and from former US President George Bush, among others, while taking the opportunity to point out practical ways of how collaboration between countries forms.

“Maltese soldiers risk their lives to save drowning migrants out at sea, but the US has been consistently repatriating migrants and making sure they settle in the US,” he said.

Showing a clock in gold and silver, Dr Gonzi said this was a gift from the Qatar President to thank Malta for the help it offered the country during the Libyan crisis. Qatar, a small but very rich country in the Middle East, had been the first to start helping in Libya but Malta soon followed suit and a special friendship between the two countries ensued. This may prove beneficial in the future, Dr Gonzi highlighted.

“Our island has made a difference to Europe in the time of the Great Siege when the Turks wanted to take over the island, and also in World War II,” he said. “We need to be proud of our history.”

He went on to point out that like the students, others who have internet access can take a virtual tour of Castille, and better understand the government’s work.

This initiative was spurred by the Curriculum Management and eLearning Department within the Quality and Standards in Education Directorate, in collaboration with St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity. The objective of these events is to provide Form 4 students with a unique experience of the day-to-day functions of the various sections within the Office of the Prime Minister, together with a visual experience of this monumental building of the Knights’ period.

Dr Gonzi also explained the functions of Cabinet saying that it works in a similar way to any other council but it would always have a fixed agenda and discussion takes place after the responsible minister or parliamentary secretary tasked with a particular law would have explained it. Work is also highly prioritised.

The visits start or end at St James Cavalier where the students participate actively in a number of seminars and workshops. Students are encouraged to form political parties and to produce electoral manifestos. They then hold discussions to persuade others (the citizens) to vote for them. The whole exercise helps students to better understand the difference between government and a political party, and that politics is way above political parties.

Similar visits are organised to the Courts of Justice and the House of Representatives.