Education Minister Evarist Bartolo this evening announced that government is considering a number of amendments to the Education Act to give more autonomy to schools. Another proposal being considered is whether to allow some form of home schooling, which would permit children to receive their education at home.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo made this announcement in front of  a jam-packed Ambassadors' Hall at Castille, during the latest in a series of consultation meetings this time focusing on education and sport.

During the meeting it was also announced that government is planning a major overhaul and refurbishment of state schools and thus will be allocating €15 million over the next three years. 

Mr Bartolo remarked that it makes no sense building new schools at the expense of leaving the rest in a state of disrepair. However he was quick to allay fears that plans unveiled by the previous government to build a new school each until 2020 would be abandoned, saying that where necessary government will not hesitate to build new schools.

The education minister said that the huge turnout for the meeting is clear testament to the interest in this field. He said the scope of this meeting was to identify problems and try to address them. He recounted how a meeting focusing on the benchmarking exercise some weeks ago, was a great success, at least judging by the turnout.

Though the meeting was intended as an opportunity for the public the to air its views and put forward suggestions, some of those present seemed more eager to endorse the current administration or make a scathing review of the PN-led government. 

Replying to points raised by the floor, Mr Bartolo said that the language committee at University will be revived soon. He stressed that both Maltese and English language are of paramount importance in our education system. 

The education minister said that schools have to be accessible not only in a physical sense but also from an educational perspective. Mr Bartolo asked whether all learning support assistants (LSA) are aware and trained to deal with dyslexia and autism. Nevertheless he said that inclusion is not simply addressed by employing LSAs but is a much more complex and multi-faceted issue.

Mr Bartolo added that students with disabilities must be offered the required support when sitting for Matsec examinations. He remarked that we seem to be more eager to spend money on assessing students rather than providing them with the necessary training. 

Regarding the issue of vocational training,  he announced that from next September students attending the secondary school in Gozo will be offered vocational subjects. He said that teaching must be more relevant to everyday life experience.

Mr Bartolo acknowledged that cleansing in schools is a major problem, and said that government is committed to address the situation. The education minister laid emphasis on having more mutual respect between students, teachers and parents.

Parliamentary Secretary Stefan Buontempo said that there are roughly 300 sport facilities across the island, of which 100 are football pitches. He said that those practising minor sports which may not be as popular as mainstream disciplines, must not be overlooked.

He said that all those sports associations expressing interest to acquire public land on which to develop facilities, must present concrete and costed plans.

He said that a few days after taking office he was approached by nine sports organisations who were promised public land through a memorandum of understanding signed days before the general election. Dr Buontempo said that some of these agreement included site outside development zones.