The Nationalist Party has slammed the government's preparations for the reopening of schools, saying it appeared that a policy on school transport had been overturned within two hours.

Shadow minister Clyde Puli observed that on Monday morning, hundreds of parents received an email from the education authorities telling them they were no longer entitled to free school transport for their children since they lived within 1.5km from their school. The decision was taken in view of COVID-19. 

The email raised a storm of protest with many parents insisting that they lived well outside that radius, and others complaining that their children would have to cross busy roads to reach school, the PN said.  

Among them were parents whose children would need to cross Mdina Road to go to Tal-Ħandaq school in Qormi and those who need to cross Psaila Street and Valley Road to go to Ta' Paris School in Birkirkara. 

Within two hours, may of the parents received another email telling them that their application had been reviewed and their children were now entitled to free school transport. 

Policies which were supposedly well-thought-out were not changed within two hours, Puli argued. 

He said the authorities needed to issue a clarification about whether the school transport protocol announced recently still applied, and how it was now being interpreted.