Students will return to their classrooms from the Christmas recess as per usual, with state schools opening their doors tomorrow once more for the commencement of the second semester of the scholastic year.
Speaking to The Malta Independent, an Education Ministry spokesperson said that all the necessary measures had been taken for schools to reopen as per the scholastic year calendar on Thursday 7 January.
The news comes amidst some worry that an increase in Covid-19 cases after the festive period may make the reopening of schools more dangerous and cause a further increase in cases of the virus. The preoccupation however has not been as extensive as last September when schools opened up for their first semester.
The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) have been the most vocal against the en-masse reopening of schools this week, with their Executive Head appealing in a video message to Education Minister Justyne Caruana for schools to be reopened in a staggered manner.
However, the Education Ministry is confident that schools can go ahead and welcome students again tomorrow.
“State schools have taken all necessary measures according to guidelines issued by Health Authorities and will re-open as per scholastic calendar, on Thursday 7th January 2021. It is pertinent to note that these measures, with an investment of €30 million, already led to the smooth reopening of schools last October”, the spokesperson said.
The Ministry appealed for responsibility from those who feel any symptoms, saying that they should not attend school and get tested for the virus, before adding that they will continue to follow all directions, guidance, and advice by health authorities.
The reopening of schools has been debated in some countries in Europe as cases of Covid-19 increase to record levels: France for instance has kept its schools open, but the United Kingdom – after initially saying that they would keep schools open – have now decided that they must close for 7 weeks.
In Malta, the debate has not been as prominent as it was in September, when fears of the virus and of a lack of preparation resulted in the opening of government schools being delayed by a week.
A number of independent schools have already opened their doors between today and yesterday, with all of them save for two physically welcoming students back to their classrooms.
Only two schools – San Anton and San Andrea – will not be welcoming students back to the physical classroom: pupils at San Anton will have the first two weeks of their school semester held remotely, while San Andrea students learn remotely for the first week.