The new carbon-neutral Msida Primary School, with an expenditure of €24 million, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Robert Abela on Friday.
The Achille Ferris Primary School was initially demolished and then rebuilt to offer “a wonderful educational environment” which the Office of the Prime Minister said has kept the aesthetics of the school’s original facade while having a state-of-the-art environment inside the school with a number of facilities.
The OPM said that the new school is 10,000 square metres in size and stated that costs were partially funded from Malta’s Recovery and Resilience Plan from the European Union. It continued that there was special attention to sustainability in the school, with solar panels and maintaining a comfortable temperature in the classrooms.
It said that there are around 40 classrooms, including classes for specific subjects such as art, music, science, literacy, ethics, and personal and social development. The OPM said that there is also a public library and a hall, with a recreational space which can be used by the community after school hours, including for use by the Msida Sea Scouts. There is also a car park under the school.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Abela said that this investment serves as a beacon of quality from the government in the education sector. He commented that the carbon-neutral school is the present and the future. He remarked that this is the leap in quality that he wants to see in every investment around the country.
The Prime Minister also spoke with educators at the school, which the OPM stated are the main driving force in the education of the children. The OPM said that the best investment agreement for educators, and an improvement in their wages and conditions, comes from the economic and social health present in Malta which provides the opportunity to invest in crucial areas such as education.
Education Minister Clifton Grima said that the inauguration of the school is not simply an inauguration of a modern educational building, but is also a celebration of the students’ futures and the educators.
Graziella Vassallo, the Head of Achille Ferris Primary School, described the inauguration as a historic moment. She said that the opening of the new school is a sign of hope and serves as an investment in the future and “an opportunity to start a new chapter” for the educational workers as well as for the students, their families, and the whole community.
