Justin Schembri
Shadow Minister · Partit Nazzjonalista
- True 1 50%
- Mostly true 0 0%
- + Context 0 0%
- Mixed opinion 0 0%
- Unproven 0 0%
- Misleading 1 50%
- Unlikely 0 0%
- False 0 0%
Confirmed directly by government primary sources. The Ministry for Education launched the National Education Strategy 2024-2030 in December 2023 — a 7-year framework explicitly aimed at modernising Maltese curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and educator development. Twettiq tal-Baġit 2024 Misura 78 records the strategy launch as Implimentata, covering ~13,000 educators. Twettiq tal-Baġit 2025 Misura 89 records continued implementation as Implimentata, affecting 12,640 educators across 4 schools and 3 colleges. The very existence of a 7-year modernisation strategy is the government's own acknowledgement that the existing system needs transformation. Schembri's claim is True at both levels: outdated, and government acknowledged.
The blanket 'poor condition' framing is contradicted by the documented record. Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools (FTS) built 13 new schools across 2013-2018 — 2.6/year vs the pre-2013 ~1/year — plus extensive refurbishments, €47M invested in just a 3.5-year window. Twettiq tal-Baġit 2024 records new Rabat Gozo Primary (325 students) and Middle School (390 students) as Implimentata. Real older-stock concerns DO exist and warrant policy attention — ageing electrical and HVAC systems at primary schools built in the 1960s-1980s (made more pressing by summer heat extremes), inadequate outdoor/PE facilities, accessibility gaps, maintenance backlog flagged by UPE, and population-driven capacity pressure. But characterising the school estate system-wide as 'in poor condition' overstates the case. Misleading.