Government to look into crisis facing independent schools

Following a meeting with the Prime Minister and the Independent School’s Association (ISA), the education ministry said it is "committed to retaining the choice currently available to parents in Malta, that is state, church and private schools.”

The report by audit firm PricewaterhouseCoopers shows the private school sector to be in danger of suffering severe losses due to a decreasing birth rate as well as the proposed €20 million euro expansion to Church schools.

The ISA are requesting government to further subsidise private schools by increasing tax credits awarded to parents who send their children to private schools or to issue €17 million euros worth of vouchers over the next decade to ensure the survival of this sector. 

As the Junior Lyceum exam is phased out for State schools this year, and a €20 million Church school expansion expected to create 2,000 new places, the ISA fears a smaller supply of students will mean its members will have to either close down their schools, or significantly downsize their operations because of this 'loss in business'.

“The current financial situation facing the schools threatens their long-term viability… the spiral would be one of higher costs, reducing student population and sharp fee escalation, leading to further reductions in student numbers, until one is left with a handful of elite schools catering for a tiny minority of students,” the ISA warns.

The report ominously warns that if school fees increase, it will “increase family tensions as parents struggle to cope, together with a negative impact on the country’s birth rate.”