Aware that parents and pupils are missing the social side of the classroom, teachers at San Andrea School in Mġarr have taken the initiative to set up a radio station amid the coronavirus shutdown.

Like all schools in Malta, San Andrea has been closed since March 13, with lessons being carried out at home or online, away from friends.

But now, students will be able to tune in to the radio to hear their classmates perform radio drama, play music and share positive messages.

David Micallef, the school’s special projects and events manager, came up with the idea of a radio station after hearing how someone else’s voice helps people feel connected and less anxious.

“I thought we should go for it and launch our own school’s internet radio. We have a very close-knit community and we keep getting remarks from students and parents on how much they’re missing the social aspect of the classroom or the events that we regularly host on our school grounds for the whole family throughout the year,” he said.

We keep getting remarks from students and parents on how much they’re missing the social aspect of the classroom

Students at San Andrea School will have their poems, drama scripts and music aired and listeners will be able to send in recorded audio messages containing positive messages, poetry, forgotten Maltese or English proverbs and general shout-outs to family members, friends and teachers.

Drama students will produce radio-drama, while other students are working on music production and deejaying, Micallef said.

The school obtained a licence to play commercial music from the Performing Right Society and set out to plan the schedule of shows primarily hosted by Micallef and Tezara Saliba, a drama teacher at the school who is also active on local radio.

Content of the shows, to be aired from Mondays to Fridays between 2pm and 5pm, includes a range of student-created, music shows and syndicated radio content such as mainstream dance music and a radio series that deals with climate change.

The radio does not run or embed advertising and no revenue is generated.

“We are also trying to finalise specific content for early school children, to try to introduce radio-listening to very young children,” he said. While the primary target audience is the San Andrea School community, the radio station can be reached through a publicly-available internet link."