The long-promised new Msida primary school will open its doors to students in time for the new scholastic year this month, five years after its original deadline for completion. 

The Education Ministry announced this week that the school, which was partially funded through the EU's recovery and resilience fund, is the first "carbon neutral" public school to be built in Malta. 

In 2022, parts of the newly built school structure had to be demolished after the Foundation for Tomorrow Schools (FTS) found that it was of "sub-standard" quality. 

The new school includes 40 classrooms, a childcare centre, a public library and a hall accommodating 300 people. 

The library, the hall as well as several of the recreational spaces within the school's grounds will be available for use by the local community after school hours. 

The project also saw the construction of a new complex for the Msida Sea Scouts as well as a two-storey car park for 180 cars. 

Touting the new school's green credentials, Education Minister Clifton Grima said the building was specially designed to ensure that its energy needs are as low as possible. 

To meet these goals, the new school building includes modern insulation that helps keep the walls cool in summer and warm in winter and a rainwater recycling system that will be used for irrigation and the school's bathrooms. 

Education Minister Clifton Grima had previously promised the new school would be up and running in September 2023. Photo: DOI

Besieged by delays 

The government announced it would be demolishing the school and building a new one in 2017, promising that the project would be finished in two years. 

The Planning Authority approved two planning applications for works on the site, one filed in 2018, to demolish and excavate the school building as well as reintegrate part of the existing facade and another, filed in 2019, for the construction of the new school complex.

But as work outwardly appeared to progress, two years ago part of a newly built section of the new school had to be demolished. 

FTS said at the time that several "deficiencies" had been found in the work carried out, which caused them not only to order the newly built portion of the school to be demolished but also ended their contractual relationship with the architect who was in charge of the project. 

“The FTS has not only assigned the work to a different firm of architects but is taking the necessary steps for the architect who was responsible for these deficiencies to make good and be held legally responsible,” they had said. 

Following the demolition saga, Grima said in December 2022 that works on the school would be completed in time to welcome students by September 2023, but ultimately works failed to meet that deadline. 

'Six years late and €10 million over budget' - PN

In a statement on Friday Shadow Education Minister Justin Schembri said that while the PN welcomed news of the Msida primary school finally opening to students, this has come six years late and €10 million over budget. 

Conversely, it said that it was otherwise encouraging that the school was built to be carbon neutral and included a public library and recreational spaces. 

The PN believes that this should be the praxis in all Maltese schools, Schembri said, adding that it is also positive that Msida residents will finally have the opportunity to send their children to school in their own locality.