Parents question Wardija centre’s future after enrolment omission

Parents of teenage students with intellectual disabilities are questioning why the Wardija Resource Centre is not listed as an option for enrolment and whether this signals that it may be phased out.

This comes just a few months after the education minister stated that the centre – the Dun Manwel Attard Resource Centre in Wardija – is there to stay.

The issue has been rekindled by the Malta Federation of Organisations of Persons with Disability (MFOPD) after the application form sent to parents – by the Department for Educational Services to enrol their children in a specialised school or programme for the 2026–2027 scholastic year – did not include Wardija as an option.

The long-standing issue surrounding Wardija began a year ago, when parents of teens spoke about how they remained uncertain about whether their children had been accepted into Malta’s only resource centre catering for their age group.

At the time, Karen Buttigieg, president of the National Parents Society for Persons with Disability, said there was no clear vision for the education of children with disabilities beyond the age of 16.

She explained that most children with intellectual disabilities begin their schooling in mainstream settings, supported by learning support educators (LSEs). However, as they grow older, a lack of trained staff in these environments often results in children being moved to resource centres.

These centres, originally designed to be attended a few times a week for support services such as hydrotherapy, have increasingly turned into full-time special schools.

The situation becomes even more difficult after compulsory education ends at 16. Until last year, one possible next step was transitioning to the Wardija Resource Centre, which serves students aged 16 to 22.

Another route is through MCAST, which offers a two-year course, but students are expected to be independent – a requirement that excludes many.

This frustration was echoed in a petition launched by the mother of a teenager with a disability. Addressed to the ministries of education and inclusion, it called for a coherent and realistic roadmap for students with intellectual disabilities as they leave compulsory education.

‘Life Map’ programme

A few months later, Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia told parliament that a new state-of-the-art Pembroke campus would host a new ‘Life Map’ programme to complement the offerings at the Wardija centre. The ministry said the Life Map service is addressed to 16-year-old students with disabilities so they can continue their studies beyond secondary school.

The following week, the Union of Professional Educators said it had been informed of an “allegedly secretive plan” to phase out the resource centre following a private sector agreement to provide the new Life Map programme.

In September, the education minister said the Wardija Learning Centre for students with disabilities would remain open for years to come.

However, the current application form does not include Wardija as an option.

After being contacted by concerned parents, Times of Malta reached out to MFOPD president Marthese Mugliette, who explained that this means children aged 16 and over – who so far chose to remain in mainstream education and did not attend specialised schools – now have no option but to enrol in Life Map, which she described as being more therapy-based and less education-focused.

Any person with a disability who can progress in an educational environment has the right to do so

“We are not against Life Map, as some have tried to portray, but we are pro-choice and believe that everyone is an individual with different needs. I can assure you that if any form of consultation had taken place prior to the launch of Life Map, it would have quickly become clear that what was being introduced was not the institution it was made out to be for a large group of students.

“It may be an appropriate approach for children on the autism spectrum who require a therapeutic approach, but it is definitely not appropriate for children who are able to learn further skills through an educational approach. We believe that any person with a disability who can progress in an educational environment has the right to do so with educators and LSEs, while those who need a therapeutic approach should be able to choose Life Map,” she said.

Mugliette added that she believed mainstream education remained the most inclusive solution for some students and questioned why such education facilities could not form part of other mainstream post-secondary institutions to avoid segregation.

The issue has also been flagged with the education ombudsman.

‘Limited capacity’

Replying to questions sent by Times of Malta, an education ministry spokesperson said the current academic year represents the first time all students with disabilities completing secondary education were offered a place in post-secondary education, in line with inclusive education principles. 

“In previous years, access was constrained by the limited capacity of the Wardija facility, with the consequence that a number of young people were, in practice, not enrolled in any post-secondary educational institution,” the spokesperson said.

“The students to whom you referred are attending two different institutions, with one cohort based at Wardija and another cohort attending Life Map in Pembroke. The introduction of Life Map constitutes a concrete measure to uphold and ensure access to inclusive post-secondary education by ensuring that all students are offered meaningful access to learning within a high-quality educational environment.”

The spokesperson added that it has been consistently stated through public declarations that students currently attending Wardija will be able to continue doing so in the future, “and that the working conditions and professional roles of staff in the same institution will not be adversely affected”.