Following the Maltese government’s decision to close English language schools after a spike in COVID-19 infections, the schools in question are set to lose between €35 and €40 million in revenue. This also spells uncertainty for the 12,000 students residing in Malta to learn English. Over a single weekend, schools saw a massive 15,000 cancellations worth a total of around €15 million, as reported by a spokesperson for the federation speaking to Times of Malta.
With 2000 jobs of teachers and support staff in danger of being lost, the federation is set to meet Prime Minister Robert Abela to find solutions about the urgent matter. The decision was called insane and illogical by chief executive of the European School of English Sean LeGault. He went on to state that the decision has potentially wiped out a sector that has been built over the past 40 years.
Owner and CEO of BELS English Language Schools Rebecca Bonnici also added how the sector has already ‘scraped the bottom of the barrel in order to secure [its] ability to operate this year, with nothing more left to scrape.’ She claimed that the decision will have an ‘unquantifiable effect on Malta’s reputation’.
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Photo Source: Katerina Holmes