St Aloysius visit rekindles memory of Muscat’s brush with Jesuit prefect

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat took a trip down memory lane as he treaded the corridors of St Aloysius' College in Birkirkara, where he met former members of the Jesuit Order who had the pleasure of lecturing, as well as disciplining, the young lad.

One such encounter was with Muscat's former prefect of discipline, Brother Saviour Mifsud, whose own dispensation of the college's notorious brand of discipline served to highlight the prime minister's craftiness in evading an annoying bus trip back home to Burmarrad.

According to Muscat, Mifsud had reprimanded him for not wearing an under-vest under his school shirt, giving him a 10c coin to catch the bus back home and return with appropriate undergarments and to spend the afternoon in detention.

"Not wanting to go to Burmarrad and back, I popped round to a friend of mine who lived two corners away from the school and asked his mum for a vest. When I came back 10 minutes later, the brother asked me how come I made it so fast. When I told him the story, he told me 'good for you, you used your head', and cancelled the detention," Muscat said.

St Aloysius College today hosts a primary school that welcomes 540 students picked by ballot from the annual Church school lottery.

Muscat said returning to the school was a homecoming for him. "I wanted my first school visit to be here, and I asked members of my government to be here," Muscat said, referring to such fellow Aloysians as Chris Fearne, Edward Zammit Lewis, Godfrey Farrugia, and José Herrera.

Rector Jimmy Bartolo described Muscat as a model student who never got the 'yellow door' - a punishment for students who are not allowed to go out for their break and instead have to stand by a door as they watch their mates enjoy their break in the playground.

Muscat was also presented with a collage of school photographs during his years at the school.

He was also paid tribute by the president of the Sixth Form's students' council Karl Attard, who told Muscat he was proud of attending a school that had produced such successful politicians. "You are our inspiration for us to be protagonists in the future leadership of this country."