The education sector needs a lot of reforms in attempt to recover from the past controversies of four different Ministers for Education in the course of one legislature, PN Spokesperson for Education Clyde Puli said on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Robert Abela has appointed Clifton Grima as Minister of Education after the resignation of Justyne Caruana. The Gozo MP stepped down in the wake of damning report by Standards Commissioner George Hyzler, who found that Caruana abused her power when she gave her former footballer friend Daniel Bogdanovic a €15,000 contract. Bogdanovic had also been employed by the same ministry.

Grima has now been handed the education portfolio but will also retain responsibility for the sport sector, for which he was responsible as parliamentary secretary. Puli noted that Grima will be the fourth Minister for Education in one legislature and should be prepared to recognize and face the shortcomings of the current education system.

The appointing of a new minister came late, which has set back discussions on the upcoming return to the scholastic year, said Puli. He condemned that fact that there has yet to be discussions on whether schools will open again after the festive season, due to the current spike in Covid-19 cases.

“The previous ministers have stripped the sector from a sense of stability and leadership, causing a great rift in the education sector,” Puli said. He added that statistics show that students in Malta are behind in reading, mathematics and sciences, all issues that have been ignored.

Puli also said that there are 5,000 students without a laptop, hindering the technological advance in schools while creating a big problem during the pandemic. The problems are recurring and have been recurring for the past four years, he said.

A proposal which the PN insists on is the national educational strategy, built upon consultation by the nation, meaning all educators, their unions, academics, parents, and all stakeholders, said Puli. This fixed plan would be consulted and agreed upon by everyone and would not be subject to change when the government changes, and especially when the minister changes, he said.

A call for the explanation of Grima’s controversy tied to the Ta’ Kandia shooting range in Siggiewi was made by PN candidate Justin Schembri, also addressing the press conference. The National Audit Office had reported multiple financial irregularities and several direct orders related to this project. The shooting range project was to be completed in time for the 2018 shooting world cup, but the project overshot its budget by millions.

“Minister Grima has the obligation to answer these questions so that his new role will not be stained,” said Schembri. He questioned why there was no police investigation on the matter.

Schembri also appealed for the increase in stipend to attract more people towards the education sector, the introduction of air conditioning in classes, higher pay for educators, educational tablets for secondary school students as well as a €500 voucher for students to travel for education, sport and cultural commitments.

Answering questions by the media, Puli said that there is great instability in the education sector, with unwanted changes due to wrongdoings.