Private Schools, Government agree on 35% fee reduction due to COVID-19 pandemic

The government has announced an agreement with the private education sector to reduce school fees by a minimum of 35% whilst students stay at home because of the COVID-19 crisis.

In a statement announcing the agreement, the ministry for Education and Employment said that while fees were a private matter for schools and parents to settle among themselves, the agreement would ensure that fees would decrease by at least 35% for the period when classes continued to be held online. "Every private person is free to enter into further discussions with private schools if so needed," said the government statement on the matter.

Teachers’ union MUT has expressed satisfaction at the agreement reached between the ministry for Education and Employment and the Independent Schools Association over government assistance to independent schools.

The reaction comes after the Ministry for Education and Employment announced that a total of 2,200 jobs in the formal and informal private education sector will also be supported.

Educators and all workers working in private schools will have their jobs preserved, the ministry said in a statement on Facebook, stressing that "they are not at risk of losing their jobs."

The agreement covers full time employees and part-time employees. At the same time, by virtue of the agreement, no student from these schools will lose their place at school.

Under the agreement, educators working in private schools will receive an €800 wage subsidy as they continue to provide online learning. 

With regard to the fees paid by parents to private schools, the Government made it clear that this is a private arrangement between private individuals and private schools and hence the need for any of the parties to make revisions, must be done through an agreement between the parties.

Similarly, all workers working in private childcare centres which fall under the free child-care scheme, will not lose their jobs. In total the centres employ just over 1000 people: 778 of whom are full time employees and 269 of whom are part-time employees.

The Government urged day-care centres to continue providing online services and activities and keep communicating with parents.

In a reaction to the announcement, the Malta Chamber of SMEs and the Childcare Centre Providers Association said this agreement would ensure that no jobs within the industry will be lost, allowing it to continue with its efforts of supporting parents and young children remotely

This agreement will also ensure that childcare centres will be ready to reopen immediately, as soon as the Superintendent of Public Health gives the go ahead.

Education Minister Owen Bonnici had said earlier this week that the decision on whether or not parents who have children who attend private schools should pay school fees or not during the COVID-19 crisis, should be discussed between the school and the parents.

Ever since schools were closed down due to the coronavirus outbreak in Malta, the private school sector has expressed its concern as to whether the government will be providing financial support to the private sector as it had done to government schools.

“The MUT, which has been following these developments closely for the past weeks, recognises the commitment of independent school educators and the Government to this sector,” said the union in a statement on Saturday morning.

The union also praised the management of independent schools represented by ISA: San Anton School, St Michael School and St Michael Foundation, Chiswick House School and St Martin’s College, San Andrea School, St Catherine’s High School, and St Edward’s College for their handling of the situation.