Wardija learning centre to stay open, ministry says after PN, union concerns

Updated 3.20pm with Ministry of Education statement below.

The Wardija Learning Centre for students with disabilities will stay open for years to come, the Ministry of Education said on Tuesday.

It was reacting to a statement by the Nationalist Party which urged the government to explain its long-term plans for the Dun Manwel Attard Resource Centre following claims from a teachers' union of a “secretive plan” to phase out the centre.

Earlier this month, 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 following week, a teachers' union, the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) 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.

The programme, which offers services to persons with disabilities aged 16 and over, was announced by the government in August and began operating this month.

In a statement, the PN said the government “must explain” what is happening with the Wardija resource centre.

“Educators and parents of children with special needs attending this school have every right to know what will happen to the centre, as well as to be informed about the service that appears set to be offered by the Life Map Campus in Pembroke,” the PN said.

The Opposition said it was “concerned and closely monitoring the situation” of the Wardija centre, which it said, “now seems set to be phased out”.

It called on the government to urgently explain the long-term plans for the centre and whether it is planned for closure, and the plans for the building should it close.

The PN also asked how much investment is planned for the centre in such an eventuality, whether staff would be transferred to the Pembroke campus, how many students the Life Map campus will cater for and the services on offer.

It also demanded information on the training and qualifications of the Life Map teaching staff, including whether they can communicate in both Maltese and English, and how much the government is paying the private contractor operating the programme per student.

“While the Partit Nazzjonalista welcomes the fact that there may be more opportunities in this highly sensitive sector... it expects the government, the Ministry for Education, and the Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector to be fully transparent”, the statement read.

“Regrettably, however, the educators and parents of children attending the Wardija school still do not know exactly what will happen to the Centre in the coming years, since the Government has failed to consult them transparently.”

The PN thanked staff at the Wardija centre and offered them its support.

The statement was signed by shadow education minister Justin Schembri, Graziella Galea, shadow minister for inclusion and Albert Buttigieg, shadow minister for Neurodiversity and child protection.

Wardija centre to stay open, ministry says

In a reaction a few hours later, the Ministry of Education insisted that the Wardija centre will remain open and continue to provide services to students for years to come.

It said that whereas the centre could not keep up with demand up to a few years ago, it was now able to do so thanks to the recent opening of Life Map, an extension of the service given in association with the private sector.

The ministry said the Life Map service is addressed to 16-year-old students with disabilities so that they can continue their studies beyond secondary school.

The ministry accused those claiming that the Wardija centre would close as being irresponsible and insensitive to the teachers, students and their families.