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Minister for Education and Employment Owen Bonnici, together with Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisations visited the site where a new primary school is to be built in Msida. Accompanying them were Permanent Secretary within the Ministry for Education and Employment Frank Fabri, St Therese College Principal Victor Agius, Head of School Silvana Ungaro, and the Msida Local Council.

This project involves the demolition of the existing school and the construction of a completely new school on the same site. The Planning Authority has decided to keep part of the façade of the old school and incorporate it as a design in the new building.

Minister Bonnici explained how, “the new school will have about 40 classes – 26 normal classes and a number of other classes for specific subjects such as personal and social development, arts, music, science, literacy, and ethics. The school will also have a childcare centre, a public library and a hall that will accommodate about 300 people.” 

“The public library, the hall and even an amount of recreational space will be used by the local community after school hours. The size of the entire school, including recreational areas, will be 10,000 square meters”, concluded Owen Bonnici.

Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sport and Voluntary Organisations Clifton Grima stated that this will be a modern and futuristic educational facility specifically designed to provide the best education for our children. He expressed his satisfaction at the fact that while planning the school, the needs of the community such as parking facilities, a childcare centre and even voluntary organisations were also taken into account. He concluded that this will be an educational facility that is equipped not only to offer a formal education, but one which will have the necessary tools to teach other skills that children need in daily life.

Permanent Secretary Frank Fabri said that, “the laying of this foundation stone of the new primary school in Msida is the result of one of a large number of decisions that we had to take about three years ago. I remember the CEO of the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools, Raphael Axiaq, asking to meet with me urgently to show his concern about the structure of the Primary School. We have seen the process of building a new school begin. I thank ministers Evarist Bartolo and Owen Bonnici, Raphael Axiaq, and Mario Gafà who led or are running the FTS as ex-CEOs, and Neville Young, current CEO, the officials involved in the ministry, and the community of Santa Teresa School and College who understood the need for temporary relocation until they return to another state-of-the-art facility.”

College Principal Victor Agius said that, “upon my appointment as College Principal for St Theresa College, in August 2013, one of the major concerns we had to face at that time was the serious and visible structural damages in most areas at Msida Primary. Thanks to the decision taken by officials at the helm of the Ministry for Education, our young students residing in Msida will be enjoying a new state-of-the-art school which will also be hosting modern facilities, including a childcare centre.”

As part of this project we will also be building a new complex for the Msida Sea Scouts, with an area of more than 500 square meters on the outside and inside. 

Below the school there will be a car park on two levels which will take over 100 cars.

The new school will have two innovative features for schools in our country. In this school the concept of an ‘outdoor classroom environment’ will be introduced. In this space, special furniture allowing for children to sit in circles will be available, while the area will be roofed with a tent and surrounded by trees, plants and flowers. 

Another innovative concept is the creation of a ‘green wall’ on one of the school’s facades. This facade will be lined with a vertical garden, a concept which will also be extended to the school’s yards.

This project is being carried out through an investment of approximately €10 million, while this school is to accommodate a total of 500 students.