After a complaint lodged with the Office of the Ombudsman in April by a candidate for the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament, an investigation was conducted by the Commissioner for Education into the policy used by the Education Division in relation to visits to schools by prospective candidates. It transpired that a written policy was only formulated and distributed to all Heads of Schools and Heads of College Network five days after the complaint was communicated to the Ministry responsible for education. Possible loopholes were identified by the Commissioner for Education, who also recommended that the policy be made public.

The Commissioner’s recommendations – modification of the policy document and publicity on the internet – were accepted by the Ministry in question. The policy document, revised with effect from the 15th May 2024 – is available here: https://edukazzjoni.gov.mt/different-policies/

The Commissioner emphasises that it is of paramount importance that the policy be applied and implemented in good faith across the board.