An air of tension hung outside normally vibrant English language schools on Monday as frustrated students wandered about, uncertain of what the next few days would bring.

The government will shut down English language schools from Wednesday following a sudden spike in COVID infections attributed mainly to the students.

In another measure announced last Friday, entry to Malta is only permitted for travellers with a recognised vaccination certificate.

While schools were on Monday hoping they would be given the go-ahead to resume courses online, many students told Times of Malta this was not even an option for them.

Katarzyna Wojciechowska, a 40-year-old Pole who had just started her course, said the accommodation she had chosen for her stay was not suitable for online learning.

“It’s very difficult for me because I’m staying at a hostel and sharing a room with six other people,” she said.

“Next week, I’m starting another course and my friends are going to join me. We are not sure if they can come or not, so we don’t know anything for sure  and we hope the decision to close the schools will be cancelled.”

While Monica Czepukojc, 45, did not have the problem of sharing since she was staying in a hotel room by herself, the weak internet connection would make it impossible for her to follow courses online.

Another two Czech students, who preferred not to be named, said e-learning was out of the question since they had come to Malta without their devices.

We can use all other facilities so why can’t we continue the course?

“The school said we didn’t need to bring laptops, so we don’t have them,” one explained.

Two younger students, on the other hand, said they were more flexible and would not have a problem shifting online since they had done it before.

“Originally, I was quite sad about it but I will be continuing definitely because I know if you want to learn English you can also learn online,” Ondrej Krupa, 17, from the Czech Republic remarked.

“I’ve had an experience with online classes, so its ok,” Ryoya Kato, 24, from Japan, said.

Vaccinated students expressed deep frustration at the measure, saying that if they could use other facilities in Malta they should also be allowed to attend their course.

“We are wearing masks and I’m fully vaccinated as are the teachers here. We can go about Malta all the time with no restrictions whatsoever.

“So why can’t we study? I don’t understand,” Marta Felipe, 37, from Poland, said.

Wojciechowska, who is also fully vaccinated, said the decision made no sense.

“I think it’s totally unfair because we can use all other facilities, so why can’t we continue the course,” she wondered, echoing other students.

The new measures came as a blow to English language schools, which had been particularly hard hit during the pandemic and are now having ‘to crisis manage’ again.

Two schools said “things were still up in the air” but they were making ready to go online.

“We are firefighting right now. So far, there has been no clear indication if going online will be allowed,” Ian Dunkan, the director of studies at the English Language Academy, said.

He explained that online learning had obvious limitations and it was not what students had signed up for.

“You’re relying on adequate internet connection. And students do not enjoy the online experience as much as they enjoy the face-to-face experience, which is why they come to Malta in the first place,” he said.

Moving online could also create tensions with host families who may have a problem with students being home all day, he added.