A COVID-19 education think tank set up in May with instructions to report back with a report in September only met for the first time in December, the Nationalist Party said on Wednesday.

The think tank had been set up by then Education Minister Owen Bonnici on May 13 and was meant to look at the future of education and find challenges and opportunities in the sector.

At the time, the ministry had said that the think tank would be finalising its report by not later than September 14.

That date came and went, however, and a parliamentary question answered on February 22 revealed that the think tank had not had any meetings scheduled until December - months after its original deadline.

Education Minister Justyne Caruana told PN MP Clyde Puli that the think tank had held four scheduled meetings on December 3, 7, 15 and 16. She added that there was no scheduled date for when the report, which she described as an "internal document", was to be published, but that she would see to it that this happened as soon as possible. 

In a statement on Wedneday, Puli said the Education Minister had lied to parliament in saying that there was no deadline for the report. when she said, in reply to a parliamentary question, that the think tank had not had a deadline to come up with its report.

"Almost six months after its deadline, the education sector, teachers, parents and students have still not seen any report or any tangible proposal about moving the sector forward," Puli said.