It has taken a pandemic to finally make full use of electronic tablets handed out to pupils under a government programme started four years ago.  

Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, there was criticism that electronic teaching was being underutilised and an investigation found fewer than one in five children were using them on a daily basis.

Education Minister Owen Bonnici told parliament on Monday that in the last two months, usage of electronic tablets given by the State exceeded the level of the entire project since it had been rolled out four years ago.

He said that the closure of schools in mid-March meant that teaching had to rely exclusively on online platforms.

“For the first time ever children undergoing cancer treatment did not miss out on schools,” he remarked.  

An estimated 15,000 tablets have been distributed for free to all Year 4 students in State, Church and independent schools. All this came at a cost of €12 million, 80 per cent of which has been financed through the European Social Fund.

Last year a National Audit Office investigation found fewer than one in every five students were using these costly devices as part of a lesson on a daily basis in schools.

New schools and maintenance works

Meanwhile the education minister said the new Qawra primary school which has been dogged by delays and was originally planned to be completed in 2015 would finally open its doors later this year. Bonnici said this would be the biggest school on the island and would raise the benchmark in terms of educational facilities.

Works are also underway on the arts school in Valletta, Żejtun secondary school and the new primary schools in Msida and Victoria, Gozo, he said.

University properties

Bonnici also announced that the government was in the process of transferring four major sites to the University of Malta in order for this institution to have a legal title on the land hosting its facilities. These four sites are the old university campus in Valletta, the Junior College campus in Msida, a site in Marsaxlokk and the Gozo campus.

This will be the best investment which the government can do, as it will “embellish” the university’s balance sheet, he said.