Some 5,500 children have applied to enroll in Skolasajf for summer, a figure which is less than half the 12,000 who usually apply for the government's summer school programme. 

However, speaking in Parliament, Education Minister Owen Bonnici said that 5,500 people is still a substantial amount of people and noted that the plan remains for the programme to open its doors in July.

Bonnici said that a project such as Skolasajf cannot materialize from one day to the next, which is why they had continued working with the target of opening as planned next July. However, consultations with health authorities, he said, are still ongoing with discussions focusing on whether the programme can go ahead and, if so, with what measures in place. 

Bonnici said that all the necessary details will be communicated to parents closer to the planned day of opening. He also said that the number of workers who have applied to take on summer jobs as part of the programme had remained roughly at the same level.