Nationalist Party proposes restructuring of Skola Sajf

The Nationalist Party, while expressing gratitude to all those contributing to Skola Sajf, has highlighted how year after year, the summer school program faces the same difficulties, with the administrative aspect failing to meet expectations.

“It is evident that the Foundation for Educational Services (FES) lacks an updated vision for how Skola Sajf can grow and achieve more holistic educational goals. Until now, the service provided has consistently fallen short of the educational expectations that a program like this should have, providing little continuity between school years,” the PN said on Friday.

It said due to a serious lack of Play Workers and Child Support Workers (CSWs), Skola Sajf finds itself in an “unmanageable situation”, with a substantial number of centers accommodating far more students than they should.

“Sadly, Skola Sajf is not entirely inclusive because there are not enough Child Support Workers to perform the role of Learning Support Educators. Consequently, the few CSWs assigned to assist students one-on-one end up helping three students simultaneously, leaving those in need of shared assistance with no support throughout the day,” spokesperson Justin Schembri said.

Schembri said year after year, the FES continues to postpone the recruitment of Play Workers and Child Support Workers due to budget constraints. This results in overcrowded classrooms, where adequate service cannot be provided. “The Nationalist Party believes that a complete restructuring of the system is necessary.”

The PN is proposing a limit on the number of students each center can accommodate, based on the center's size and resources, should be established. Once this decision is made, class openings can be determined based on available human resources.

This way, centers can function efficiently with an appropriate number of students and staff. The Nationalist Party also criticised the inadequate maintenance of Skola Sajf classrooms, often lacking proper ventilation and cooling, which poses a continuous health risk to both students and staff.

The Nationalist Party is calling for a comprehensive overhaul of Skola Sajf to ensure it meets legitimate expectations and serves not just as a facade for working parents, but as a quality educational service for children.