A new government primary school to cater for the children of the St Paul’s Bay area will not be opening its doors in September as planned, in yet another delay. 

Originally planned to open its doors in September 2015, the government project was characterised with delays related to corruption allegations at the Foundation for Tomorrow Schools, delays in the finalisation of plans and the issue of related permits and the resignation of successive chief executives at the agency.

Earlier this year, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo assured parents that the school would be definitely opening its doors in 2019, the fourth consecutive target date set by the Education Ministry.

However, once again this will not be the case.

A visit to the still-to-be completed school on Wednesday showed that the edifice is still a building site with the school being at least six months behind schedule. Education Ministry sources said the school will definitely not open this September and no date has been given yet on when students can start using the new facilities.

Asked for an update on the construction of this school, the Education Ministry referred the questions to the Foundation for Tomorrow Schools, which confirmed the latest delay. “The school is not expected to open its doors for all sections in September 2019,” the spokesman said.

However, he said that, this time round, the delay was not the foundation’s fault. 

“Works on the new primary school in Qawra which were moving at a brisk pace were disrupted by an accident on site last month,” the spokesman explained. “Since then the site has been closed and all works stopped until the magisterial inquiry is concluded.”

The accident involved a 23-year-old man from Mali who died when he fell four storeys while working on the building. 

Dozens of workers were seen on site on Wednesday. 

Overcrowding at old school

The school’s opening delay is causing overcrowding at the ‘old’ St Paul’s Bay Primary School, particularly due to the locality’s explosive increase in population, the largest registered across the country.

Due to the lack of space and delays in the completion of the new school, the Education Ministry had to instal temporary mobile classrooms in the school’s grounds. 

Last February, when the government issued a new call to increase the amount of mobile classrooms at the school, the Education Ministry had said these were not intended to host more pupils but to replace the ones already in place.

The college principal, Patrick Decelis, had also ruled out more mobile classrooms stating that “if the (new) school misses its deadline, we have to find other solutions.”

Times of Malta is informed that so far, parents have not been informed of alternative arrangements for their children for the coming scholastic year.