School class room

Education Minister Justyne Caruana has confirmed that there will be no discrimination between vaccinated staff and pupils versus their unvaccinated counterparts and confirmed that vaccines will not be mandatory to enter schools.

justyne caruana
Education Minister Justyne Caruana

On Tuesday, she detailed the long-awaited protocols for the upcoming 2021/2022 scholastic year.

Despite the accompanying gridlock traffic associated with the start of the school year, working parents will be pleased to see that the relatively stable COVID situation allows for children to mostly attend in person.

Virtual lessons are not being excluded, with Minister Caruana saying the focus is to have students back in class, but remote learning may have to be employed where necessary.

In addition, for the upcoming year, pupils will still have to wear masks in class, but Physical Exercise (P.E.), lab work and classroom birthday parties will be permitted.

Children in Year 8 and under will have to sit 1.5 metres apart, while those in Year 9 and up will be sat one metre apart.

Additionally, stores selling food in schools, better known as tuck shops, will be permitted to open but only prepackaged items can be sold.

Related

Tourist arrivals increase by 16.3% in Q1 2026

May 4, 2026
by Nicole Zammit

A total of 806,563 tourists visited Malta between January and March 2026

MDA cites Central Bank findings to defend stability of Malta’s property market

May 4, 2026
by Nicole Zammit

The Association referenced the Central Bank’s 2025 Annual Report, which indicated that property prices were slightly undervalued during the year

Robert Abela pledges discussion on compressed four-day week

May 4, 2026
by Tim Diacono

Robert Abela says workers should have a right to request compressed workweeks and remote work