The Lankin School Closes After 58 Years Due To Rising Rent & Financial Pressures

Thi Lakin School has closed its doors after 58 years, with its owner, Miss Tami, saying the decision was forced by the financial realities of running the school from rented premises.

In a lengthy statement marking what would have been the first day of the new scholastic year, Miss Tami said the school should have been filled with children, music and excitement, but instead remained closed.

“Music should have been blaring at Thi Lakin School this morning, children running in excitedly, greeting their friends, moving on to a fun assembly with lots of dancing, singing and the usual racket we make on the first day of school,” she wrote. “This year, after 58 years, it was not to be.”

Miss Tami stressed that closing the school was not her choice, saying she had faced hate mail, confrontations and verbal abuse from people who were unaware of the circumstances behind the decision.

“I did not choose to close the school,” she said, describing Thi Lakin as much more than a workplace.

“It has been my life. It has been part of my family, part of my identity and, most importantly, part of the lives of generations of children and families.”

According to Miss Tami, the school began as a family business, with the building itself forming part of the family’s story for many years. However, around five years ago, her siblings sold the building, leaving her to continue operating the school from rented premises.

She said she decided to continue because she could not bear the thought of the school coming to an end. However, the rent eventually became so high that the fees received from the school were no longer enough to cover the rent and other running costs.

For five years, she said, she did everything possible to keep the school operating, including using money she had received from the sale of the building to cover the shortfall.

“I kept putting money into the school because I believed in it,” she said. “I used my personal funds as I believed in what we had created. I believed in the children.”

She rejected suggestions that she had personally profited from the situation, saying the opposite was true and that she continued investing because she hoped she would eventually find a way to keep the school going.

Miss Tami said every child who passed through the school mattered to her, while generations of families became part of its story. She recalled first days, achievements, birthdays, Christmas concerts and other moments shared with pupils and their families.

Some families even returned with their own children after previously attending the school themselves.

She said the closure should not be interpreted as a sign that she had stopped caring about the school.

“It is precisely because I cared so much that I fought for as long as I possibly could,” she said.

However, she acknowledged that dedication alone could no longer overcome the cost of running the school.

“There comes a point where love and dedication cannot overcome the financial reality of running a school,” she said. “I have reached that point now, and continuing would simply not be financially possible.”

Miss Tami also apologised to the children, stressing that the closure was not their fault and was not because the school no longer wanted them.

“They are the very reason I stayed for as long as I did,” she said.

Looking back, she said she would remember the children and families more than the financial difficulties the school faced.

“I see children's faces. I see little hands holding mine. I see parents bringing their babies to us and trusting us to care for them.”

She thanked parents for trusting her with their children and for the support they had provided throughout the years.

Although the school has now closed, she said its history would continue through the people who had passed through its doors.

“58 years of existence cannot simply be closed with a key,” she wrote, adding that its memories would live on through former pupils, families, friendships and shared experiences.

Miss Tami said she was leaving the chapter with sadness, but also with gratitude and pride in what had been achieved.

“Please remember one thing above all else: I didn't choose to say goodbye. Financial circumstances made that decision for me.”

She wished all former pupils success in their new schools and thanked the staff who had helped make Thi Lakin what it was, describing them as “a great team of educators”.

“I will miss you all so much,” she wrote.

#MaltaDaily