Church and independent schools are set to benefit from government funding to cover the costs of some of the measures they’re taking to be in line with COVID-19 guidelines.

In a briefing ahead of the Budget, the government confirmed that the Education Ministry is in discussions with private schools about ways to help them in this regard.

Schools across Malta have had to spend large sums of money ahead of their reopening, with costs ranging from installing perspex glass inside staff rooms, setting up isolation wards, implementing structural classroom changes to allow for social distancing and paying people to check the temperature of staff and students.

The government has spent around €20 million to get all its state schools in line with the measures and several teachers have reported strict obedience of the new guidelines, which includes class bubbles and mandatory mask-wearing for everyone older than eleven.

What has your experience of schools been like since they reopened?