Updated at 6.50pm with government reaction

Opposition leader Adrian Delia on Sunday blasted what he described as the government’s lack of respect towards children and teachers.

He said the fact that children were now being taught in “containers” pointed towards a total failure of the education sector.

Times of Malta reported on Friday how ten prefabricated classrooms were installed in the playground of the St Paul’s Bay government school to cope with the demand.

Read: School head insists that more mobile classrooms are useless

Speaking during an interview on NET FM, Dr Delia reminded how PN administrations had built a new school every year. Education, he said, was a priority for the PN.

“The PN guarantees respect and investment in education. We do not want our children in containers. We want them in the best possible environment. We need an education system where children are excited to wake up in the morning to go to school”, Dr Delia said.

Read: Mobile classrooms under consideration for some overcrowded state schools

The Opposition leader also announced the Opposition would be formally asking the Office of the Auditor General to investigate the award of a long series of direct orders in favour of one particular contractor to carry out cleaning services at Saint Vincent de Paul Residence.

These direct orders were not given in the public interest but were awarded to favour the select few, he said, adding they were also not in the interest of other business operators, who are being denied the opportunity to tender for these works.

"What was meant to be a temporary bridge-gap solution, spanning over a few months, ended up becoming a long-term permanent practice with one contractor benefitting from direct orders to the value of €9 million," he said.

The Opposition leader criticised the government for “stealing money” by over-billing consumers on their energy bills.

Dr Delia said the PN was in a position to prove the government was stealing from people, after having analysed thousands of bills.

He said a court decision this week instituted by private individuals had paved the way for evidence to be presented about how consumers were being short-changed.

Dr Delia said a PN government would pay back the money “stolen” from families.

During his radio interview, Dr Delia questioned where the surplus often heralded by the government had gone.

He said the government had admitted its failure by saying that without foreigners coming to Malta there would be no pensions.

“Where is the surplus? What of those who worked all their lives for their pensions?”

On declarations by the government that the controversial land deal with Corinthia would be going back to the drawing board, Dr Delia hoped that the new process would be more transparent and fair.

He accused the government of trying to sneak an agreement with Corinthia through Parliament over the Christmas season.

The deal, he said, would have seen prime land worth over €700 million being given away for a mere €51 million.

Dr Delia said that while the Opposition was in favour of improving Malta’s tourism product, it could not endorse giving land away on the cheap for speculative purposes.

He said the deal was also an attack on other businesses as well as established tendering procedures.

'Completely transparent' - secretariat

The secretariat for active ageing reacted by saying it had no problem with the Auditor General investigating claims of impropriety in the way cleaning contracts for St Vincent de Paul home were awarded.

“This process is completely transparent, fully documented and in line with public procurement regulations,” the scretariat said in a statement on Sunday evening.

“Any allegation otherwise is incorrect, deceiving and untrue”.

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