Plans to reopen schools are already in place but haven't been announced because they are awaiting approval from health authorities, the Education Minister has said.

Justyne Caruana's department has been criticised for failing to issue guidelines to parents and teachers less than a month before pupils are due to return to their desks. 

But Caruana insisted that plans for a COVID-safe reopening have already been prepared and will be announced later this week, if they are given the go-ahead by health authorities.

“We are prepared to reopen our schools, as all plans are in place," she told Times of Malta. 

"Now we must wait for approval from the health authorities, which should happen in the coming hours."

She would not be pressed on whether masks would remain mandatory or whether the bubble concept will remain in the new term.

However, she indicated she understood the frustration with the delay on announcing the plans. 

"I too am a parent, so I understand the concerns of other parents, and that everyone wishes to be prepared for the upcoming scholastic year," she said.

She said that education authorities are prepared, with a year's experience of the pandemic and that the majority of school staff and students aged 12 years and above are vaccinated. 

“In the coming days we will have a public conference announcing all the details, so that once the school doors are open everyone is prepared and knows what to do,” she said during a press conference on the implementation of the new Education Act.

Caruana said that work has already started to ensure that everyone has peace of mind once school restarts.