The shuttered Msida primary school will welcome students again in September 2023, in time for the start of the next scholastic year, Education Minister Clifton Grima has said.

The school has been closed for five years, depriving children who live in Msida of going to school in their hometown, as happens in most towns and villages across the country.

In 2017, the education ministry promised that a new school with a capacity for 300 children would be built and delivered within two years.

However, last July, the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools, responsible for building and maintaining public schools, ordered part of the new building to be demolished after deficiencies were found in its construction.

Pictures taken on Tuesday show the rebuild still in its preliminary stages.

Asked about progress earlier this week, Grima said “the target date to welcome students is September next year”.

Last July, the FTS said it had ended its contractual relationship with the architecture firm that oversaw the project and was seeking legal recourse.

It said it had not only assigned the work to a different firm of architects but was taking the necessary steps for the architect responsible for the deficiencies to make good and be held legally responsible.

Grima confirmed that those in charge of the shoddy build would pay the cost of demolition and rebuild.

He confirmed an FTS investigation had found problems with the structural integrity of part of the building.

The decision to demolish and rebuild the school showed that when an investment was made in any sector, a quality product was expected, he said.

Health and safety were a top priority, he added.

“We set an example and showed that when works are not up to standard, the people must be held accountable.”