Education Minister can't commit to timeline for performing arts school theatre

Education Minister Clifton Grima has acknowledged that the Malta Visual and Performing Arts School needs a new theatre, but says he cannot say when students there will get one. 

Speaking to Times of Malta on Friday, the minister acknowledged concerns about the school’s theatre, which parents say is in a poor state and unsafe for use.

Students at the Malta Visual and Performing Arts School in Ħamrun have had to perform at various venues across the country, because the stage at their school has been deemed unsafe and unsuitable for student use.

The situation has persisted for several years, and in recent weeks parents and students have publicly asked why multiple government promises remain unfulfilled. 

Grima was reluctant to add to that list of promises, saying the Education Ministry could not commit to the project as it requires input from "experts from other sectors" in different ministries. 

He did not elaborate on what sort of expertise or which other ministries are required before the Education Ministry can rebuild the school's stage.  

“I didn’t give a timeline for this project because, in my opinion, this shouldn’t be just under the ministry of education,” Grima said. 

He said discussions were already underway with entities falling under other ministries and that these would continue. 

Last summer, in response to a parliamentary question, Grima told Parliament that plans for a theatre were being coordinated by the Education Ministry, the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

Minister acknowledges problem

The minister acknowledged the problem.

“The reality is there is a hall today that could and should definitely be of a higher level,” Grima said. “A school like that should have the best facilities."

He said resources should be maximised to ensure one, high-level stage is built, which can be used at a national level by various entities.

“It needs the necessary investment,” he said of the school, adding that it also has various other good facilities.

Previously, a spokesperson for the ministry said the school has multiple facilities, including an art studio, an additional classroom converted into an art room, two media labs, a dedicated dance studio, two additional spaces used for dance lessons, two drama studios and a classroom used for music ensemble work.

Grima drew comparisons with the sports school in Pembroke, which also draws on facilities outside the school premises and in the surrounding area.

The Malta Visual and Performing Arts School currently operates similarly, with students attending some classes at nearby venues such as the Malta School of Music, which is located next door.

Years without a solution

The stage at the centre of the controversy has been deemed unsafe and unsuitable for student use. As a result, the school has had to hold events at alternative venues, including the Chamber of Commerce and Auberge d’Aragon.

Students at the MVPA have also performed at St Thomas More College’s Margaret Mortimer Secondary School in Santa Luċija - a school which got a new hall and sports facility in 2023.

Parents have been raising concerns about the performing arts school’s stage for years. Some have claimed that construction works on the school hall began shortly before the 2022 general election but were then halted and never resumed.

The issue returned to the spotlight last week, when a student asked the Prime Minister on live television why his performing arts college does not have a hall.

The question went unanswered.