Government's first co-ed secondary school next scholastic year

The girls' secondary school in Pembroke is set to become the first co-ed state school in Malta which will also see the development of a middle school, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo announced today.

Addressing the media at the Floriana primary school, where the minister will be holding an information session with parents over the benchmarking system, Bartolo said the introduction of the co-Ed system will be phased in along five years, starting with the next scholastic year.

Bartolo explained that boys who currently attend Year 6 at the Santa Clara college end up being placed in different schools, with the possibility of receiving another transfer when they reach Form 3.

"We cannot keep dragging students from one school to another and changing their environment every so often," Bartolo said.

In Malta, there are five co-ed schools: the Malta College for Sports and the four private schools.

Plans are in the pipeline to discuss issues such as whether the students should be separated during sports and PSD lessons.

The minister also said that both teachers and parents have supported these decisions.

The Pembroke secondary school will also see a second development: the setting up of a middle school for Form 1 and Form 2 students and would act as a transition period before the students start Form 3. These students would be housed in a different block from Form 3, 4 and 5 students.

"We also held consultation meetings with teachers and parents who explained their concerns and made a series of proposals, including the need to have smaller classes (20 students), refurbishing of schools and new facilities," he said.

"But most of all, teachers are calling for our support in discipline."

Bartolo also announced the setting up of a committee to oversee the development of these plans, which the minister himself will be chairing. The members include the Head and Assistant Head of the school, an MUT representative, a teachers' representative, a parents' representative and the Director General of the Education Department.

With the addition of Form 1 boys, the student population at the first year of Pembroke secondary school will go up to some 160 - around 80 boys and 80 girls.

Bartolo said different colleges should be allowed to develop differently as education was not a one-size-fits-all option.

The minister also said that in the coming years, the government would be developing a new block at the Pembroke secondary school to accomodate an increased number of students.