No permits yet for Mellieha temporary container school

Despite announcing controversial plans to relocate around 600 primary students to a temporary container school in Selmun this September, the government has yet to apply for the necessary planning permits or issue tenders for the prefabricated classrooms.

Sources at the Foundation for Tomorrow Schools (FTS), the government agency responsible for the project, described the ongoing plan as an example of mismanagement.

They insist that no one knows who will be supplying some 30 temporary classrooms and how the system will work despite Education Minister Clifton Grima telling parents that the students will be transferred during the next scholastic year.

The children currently attending the Mellieha primary are expected to remain in this container school for at least three academic years while the existing primary school is demolished and rebuilt at an estimated cost of around €20 million.

The prefabricated containers will be placed at the Selmun Family Park. The area will remain closed to the public until the containers are set up.

Compounding the issue, Education Minister Clifton Grima has decided to make this move without consulting parents or the local council.

No formal planning application has been submitted for the rebuilding of the current primary school. Minister Grima has not responded to specific questions regarding his plans.

Parliamentary questions about the issue submitted by PN MP Robert Cutajar have received a standard reply stating that “answers will be given in a future sitting,” a tactic by ministers used to avoid giving replies.

There has been a long-standing need for a new primary school in Mellieha, particularly due to overpopulation affecting the area more than others.

The construction of thousands of new apartments has resulted in a significant influx of residents, mostly foreign, leading to a surge in the school population.

In 2017, when Evarist Bartolo was education minister, the Planning Authority approved a permit to extend the existing primary school. Yet no progress has been made since then, leading the government to abandon these plans and start afresh.

Minister Grima has now opted to demolish the entire school and rebuild it from scratch, creating around 54 new classrooms for primary and pre-grade students.

Architectural renderings of the new school were published by the minister as part of a publicity effort aimed at easing parental concerns about their children spending at least three years—likely more, due to expected delays—in a container school.

According to the minister, this is the only viable solution to prevent students from being transferred to different schools across the island.

FTS  sources indicated that the design of the new school, as publicised by the ministry, may already be inadequate for the growing student population by the time the school opens.

Recent demographic trends and building permits for new developments in Mellieha suggest that the area’s population is likely to increase significantly over the next decade.