Transport to and from state schools is being closely monitored to work towards a situation of schoolchildren being picked up not more than an hour before school opens.

Answering questions in Parliament by Opposition members, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said drivers’ conduct with the schoolchildren was also under close watch.

He disclosed that during the anti-Gaddafi turmoil in Libya, the Government had paid €400,000 towards teachers’ salaries at the Maryam al Batool Muslim school at Paola, and was currently helping the school to the tune of €300,000 a year.

Answering the original question by Clyde Puli (PN), the minister said that between 2008 and the end of last month, Church schools had been allocated €238,608,493, increasing yearly from €32,116,000 in 2008 to €47,199,998 last year.

Church schools would not be integrated into the college system

Church schools would not be integrated into the college system after having made their own changes, he said when asked.

Mr Bartolo said the problem with school transport extended to taking students home in the afternoons. Parents had a right to protest at transport that was too early and too late; after all, through the public purse they paid almost €7 million a year for transport.

Referring particularly to a question by George Pullicino (PN) about a transport driver who had behaved badly with two girl students but had only been transferred to another route, Mr Bartolo said this was the case he had in mind when he had spoken about bad behaviour.

The driver was being monitored and if he behaved badly again, he would not be given another chance.

The Scholastic Transport Council only covered state schoolchildren, he said, but if no action was taken towards timely school transport even for private and Church schools, it would step in.