In the final part of this feature, GERALD FENECH analyses the rise of independent private schools as an alternative to the ‘lot’ system used for entry into Church Schools, and the upcoming €20 million expansion of primary Church schools announced this year
The lot system in Church schools may have provoked a shift in mentality for parents who wanted their children not to be part of the desultory and egalitarian class mix that Church schools were undergoing.
Before 1991 only a handful of independent schools had operated, such as St Edwards College in Cottonera and Chiswick House School in Sliema, the latter only operating a primary school section. The playing field changed considerably after the Church-State compact of 1991, with a considerable expansion in the number of independent schools on a large scale. Now the option of independent private schools, albeit at a much higher cost, began to be seriously considered as a viable option.
Chiswick House School moved out of its relatively small premises in Sliema to a considerable building in Kappara, and in the mid-90s a new secondary school, St Martin’s College, was built in Swatar. Two other schools that would change the face of private education were San Anton and San Andrea in Mgarr, which today have expanded into schools of considerable size with close to a couple of thousand students attending.
San Anton had opened its doors in 1988 in a villa in Attard, when a group of parents decided to form a school that strove to genuinely put the student at the centre of the educational process. The Parent’s Foundation for Education (PFE) ensures San Anton remains a non-profit making institution, with admission on a first-come-first-served basis.
A few years later, a breakaway foundation from the PFE founded the San Andrea School, right next door to San Anton. Another school which began operations in the 1980s but which expanded considerably in the 1990s was St Michael’s School which moved from a small premises in Pembroke to a large state-of-the-art facility on Tal-Balal, San Gwann a few years ago.
By 2005, the total number of students attending independent private schools stood at 8251, just under half those who attended Church school institutions (16,928) – a sure sign of how private education had made significant inroads into the Maltese psyche.
Church school expansion In January 2010, the Church and the government jointly announced a substantial programme of expansion, with several schools planning the building of new secondary schools as well as expansion of private facilities at a considerable cost of around €20 million over a 10-year period, although €7.5 million of this price tag will be funded by the government. Various church secondary schools – the Archbishop’s Seminary and St Paul’s Missionary College both in Rabat, Savio College in Dingli and St Augustine’s College in Pietà – will be building primary schools. Theresa Nuzzo school, currently catering only for primary school girls, will be building a secondary school, while some other Church secondary schools will be increasing the number of classes in Form 1 and Form 2.
This expansion project will see a 40% increase in the number of pupils at church schools.
But some critics dispute the ambitious expansion, especially after a €1 million loss to the Church’s coffers during the 2009 financial year. The Independent Schools Association has vehemently opposed the project, as it sees that Church and government are colluding together to force independent schools out of business.
The president of the newly-formed ISA, Bernie Mizzi, says the association is monitoring the unfolding situation, and intends to submit a detailed, professional report for the consideration of Education Minister Dolores Cristina. “We are concerned at this development. If there is going to be an increase of around 2,200 places in new Church schools, this is bound to have a serious impact on private schools across the board. Certain preparatory schools will almost certainly be seriously affected, considering that the new schools will nearly all be in the primary sector.”
With just under 10,000 students currently attending independent private schools, this considerable expansion in the primary sector is seen to be a considerable blow to independent private schools’ power to attract students to their fold. With the cost of living rising at such exorbitant levels even moderately well off families who perhaps planned to fork out money on their children’s education might be attracted for the option of sending their children to new state of the art Church schools.
Some have also argued that the financial burden which will be put on the Church will also have a knock-on effect on government’s ongoing plan to introduce and upgrade the college systems in its own state education sector.
In fact during a recent visit to St Augustine’s College – one of the schools earmarked for expansion – Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced an increase in funding for Church schools in 2010 by around €5.5 million to a considerable €38.5 million. This funding is used to pay the salaries of 1,127 teaching staff at Church schools as well as another 342 Learning Support Assistants.
The specifics – no reform of ‘lot’ system on the cards
The expansion will allow the number of pupils at Church schools to rise by 2,300. As a result the total number of children in Church schools will go up from about 15,000 to about 17,300. The Church also has two Sixth Forms which are attended by about 650 higher secondary school students in all.
Comparing the number of children in State schools (Kinder, Primary and Secondary), where 41,570 were registered in 2007, the attendance in Church schools is of about 36% – in 2019 this is expected to rise to 41.6%. The probability is that the percentage will be even higher if the birth rate continues its decline.
In 2011, 2012, and 2013 there will be about 400 vacancies for boys in Form 1 in Malta each year. This means that apart from the boys leaving Church primary schools, there will be about 250 vacancies. These can be filled by boys from State or independent schools. In this case there will also be draws by lots.
This ‘lot’ system continues to draw up controversy but at this stage there does not appear to be any will for it to be reformed.
A spokesperson for the ecclesiastical authorities confirmed this to be the case. “Over the years, the Church authorities have had a number of requests and suggestions on the ballot system that has been exercised for the last 21 years. The response to these has always been the same; if anyone comes up with other systems that are just and appropriate, the relevant authorities will be more than happy to discuss them. Some time ago, at a sitting of the Presbyterian Council, it was suggested to study the modes of entry at the lower and higher levels of Church schools. The matter of the entry criteria and the ballot exercise were obviously discussed and scrutinised. The result was that the system was found to be fair and square. At the moment, there is no idea of any change of the system.”
Really free for all? The issue of private education has come a long way since the battles of the 1980s and the recent announcement of Church schools expansion confirms that at least on paper, private education seems to be on a sound footing.
But warning shots have already been fired over the bows of the Church-State agreement. The experiment of parent foundations, which has achieved some success in San Anton and San Andrea, has also revolutionised private schooling where parents have a direct input into what they want for their children – although this has not always produced the desired results.
Notwithstanding all the shortcomings of the educational system in Malta, quality in Church schools continues to be seen as being of a high level and the expansion project recently announced will only make them more desirable.
Timeline
1988: Education Act implemented which puts all state, Church and private education institutions on an equal footing
1989: Lot system at Church schools comes into being. Beginning of the great independent private school expansion – Parents Foundation for Education (precursor of San Anton School) set up with a new school opening in Attard
1991: Church-State agreement signed. Chiswick House School moves to larger premises in Kappara
1992: San Anton School inaugurated in new state of the art building in L-Imselliet, Mgarr
1993: St Martin’s School, the senior school of Chiswick House School inaugurated in purpose built premises in Swatar, Msida. Chiswick-St Martin’s the largest private schooling institution in Malta.
1995: San Andrea School opens its doors in L-Imselliet, Mgarr
2005: Independent private school population reaches around 8200, just under half the number of Church school population
2007: New St Michael’s School secondary opens in Tal-Balal San Gwann
January 2010: Church authorities announce €20 million expansion of church schools over the next 10 years with several new primary schools to be built. Mixed reactions from educational sector with Independent Schools Association expressing concern at proposed expansion
February 2010: Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announces increase in funding for Church schools to rise to €38.5 million in 2010, an increase of €5.5 million. MUT President John Bencini insists that proposed expansion of Church schools will result in a ‘brain drain’ from the state sector as state teachers look for more lucrative employment in the new Church schools
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