Tomorrow, October 23, marks the 175th anniversary of the opening of St Augustine College (initially St Augustine’s  School) in the Augustinian priory of Valletta in 1848. The event also marks the beginning of the first free Catholic school for Maltese children, enriching the long story of the Church’s mission in education on our islands.

St Augustine’s School

The report of the 1836 Royal Commission had clearly emphasised that one of the things Malta was in dire need of at the time was educational facilities for children. In a short time, the ruling English government started opening schools. Conscious of this need, in 1847, Fr Gaetano Pace Forno, OSA, who had just been appointed prior provincial of the Maltese Augustinian Province – and, later, also served as bishop of Malta – wrote to the prior general of the Augustinian Order in Rome about his idea to invest in a school for children. The prior general quickly gave his approval and expressed his satisfaction at the idea which, he said, was a much-needed social project.

The same idea was discussed and approved unanimously by the Provincial Council on August 31, 1848. The governor, Sir Richard More O’Ferrall, also did not take long to approve the idea and expressed his great pleasure at the setting up of such an important project.

St Augustine’s School’s first academic year started on October 23, 1848, with a substantial number of friars having committed themselves to this new mission. The school continued to develop and grow over time but, after nearly 100 years, World War II forced it to close on January 15, 1941.

Although formally closed, it is said that, throughout the war, tuition was still made available whenever possible. The school officially reopened on October 13, 1948, and at the same time it celebrated the 100th anniversary of its establishment. By now it had been restructured as a  ‘preparatory secondary and secondary school’ on the lines proposed by the Department of Education for secondary schools. As of that date it was renamed St Augustine’s College.

Moves to Tarxien, Pietà, and Marsa extension

The school’s commitment to maintaining a high standard of education and be equipped with the best resources possible made it necessary for the college to move in 1954 to a larger and more appropriate area that the province had recently acquired in Tarxien. Meanwhile, in October 1952, a new class had already been incorporated to cater for Dockyard apprentices. In fact, apart from two preparatory classes and the secondary school classes, by now there were also the much-sought apprenticeship classes that were particularly needed now that the college was located close to the Cottonera.

Although the college at Tarxien was quite spacious, soon the need was felt for further development, and thus more space was required. In 1965, the province embarked on a substantial investment in various buildings with gardens at Pietà where plans were prepared for a completely new building to meet the educational needs of that time.

Although the college was transferred to Pietà in 1966, initially the original buildings were used after only minor structural alterations. The new college building was inaugurated on October 1, 1973, and, two years later, the gymnasium was also opened.

The secondary school campus in Pietà.

In 2011, St Augustine College opened once again its primary sector, and in 2013 an old government school in Marsa started to be used for this purpose. A year later, the province entered into a long-term emphyteusis agreement by which the premises became the college’s primary school. A project to extensively refurbish the school was immediately started and within a few years, it was changed to the beautiful building that now stands there.

Investment in space and essential resources has never stopped, not only at Marsa but also at Pietà where several extensions were made over the years.

The primary school campus in Marsa.

The college today

Today, 175 years after the inauguration of the original school in Valletta, St Augustine College comprises two schools, the primary at Marsa and the secondary at Pietà, and has about 800 students and 170 employees. Over the years, the commitment has continued relentlessly and this mission in the educational field was passed on to a large number of lay collaborators.

Along with the rector, the college is now under the responsibility of two heads of the respective schools together with seven assistant heads. The Augustinian province, together with the college’s leadership staff, has maintained as a priority a notable and effective presence of pastoral service tailored to meet present-day needs.

The aim of the continuous efforts of all concerned is not only to ensure adequate facilities and resources but, above all, to build an educational community that believes in the development of our children and adolescents, giving them the best education that makes the most of their abilities. All this is summed up in the college’s mission statement, which states: “In a loving and caring environment, we cultivate strong moral and spiritual convictions and academic excellence in our young men.”

Fr Leslie Gatt OSA is provincial of the Augustinian province in Malta.