Investment of €3.2 million in a more modern, accessible and comfortable school Kerċem Primary School students

Kerċem Primary School students will start the scholastic year in a new, modern and more accessible educational environment, following an investment of around €3.2 million. The project will lead, among other things, to an air-conditioned school, accessible via a new lift, with improved educational and recreational spaces and modern infrastructure.

Minister for Education and Sport Byron Camilleri, together with Minister for Gozo Clint Camilleri, visited the school where they followed the final phases of the works being carried out by the Foundation for Tomorrow’s Schools (FTS), as the project nears completion.

Kerċem Primary School is located in a two-storey building that was built in 1921 and is spread over approximately 1,200 square metres. The project is modernising this building while adapting it to the needs of today’s students and educators.

Minister Camilleri said that the project in Kerċem is part of the work to ensure that the renewal of educational infrastructure leads to concrete improvements in the daily experience of students and educators.

“A school that has been serving the community for over 100 years is now being renovated to continue doing so for generations to come. But our goal is not simply to renovate the buildings. We want to improve the daily educational experience, with an environment where students feel comfortable, safe, and where educators have the conditions that help them do their job in the best way. The investment in Kerċem is an example of how we are renewing our educational infrastructure according to today’s needs, while ensuring that every student, in Malta and Gozo, has the conditions they deserve to learn and develop,” said Minister Camilleri.

As part of the project, open and recreational spaces are being redesigned, while new spaces for teaching extra-curricular subjects are also being created, while outdoor recreational areas are being improved with non-slip surfaces and artificial edges.

The project also includes the installation of an air conditioning system in the school along with new electricity, water and sewage services, internet connectivity, security cameras and alarms, as well as fire protection systems. Measures are also being introduced to improve energy efficiency.

Minister Clint Camilleri said that the investment in the Kerċem Primary School will have a direct impact on the children, families and community of the locality. “After completing the Nadur Primary School, as well as the Rabat Middle and Primary School in Gozo, this year it is the turn of the Kerċem children to enter the new primary school, here in Ta’ Kerċem, following an investment of €3.2 million where this school was practically stripped to a state shell form and all the works were carried out from the ground up. We have ensured that the students continued to attend this school even while the works were ongoing and therefore, we will be looking forward to the Kerċem children entering a top-level school as soon as the new scholastic year begins,” stated the Minister.

During the works, teaching continued in temporary classrooms on the same school site. This was done so that the work could be carried out at a fast pace and in a safe manner, while students could continue to learn in the same school environment to which they are accustomed.

Maria Cutajar, Head of Contracts Management within the Foundation for the Schools of Tomorrow (FTS), explained that after the extensive work carried out, students will return to a substantially different school environment from what they knew before. “This is another project, with a large investment from FTS, where we carried out the extensive beautification of this school which is now around a hundred years old. At the beginning of the new scholastic year which will start this month, the children will enter a completely different school from the one they remember. A school which will be much more beautiful, with air conditioning, accessible to all children via a lift that we have installed, with a beautiful hall, and with a large playground covered entirely with artificial turf and rubber,” said Cutajar.

Cutajar added that students will be learning in a more comfortable and safe environment, while expressing the satisfaction of all those who worked on the project to see the children enter the renovated school for the first time.

Photos: MES/MFG