Mario Mallia, Alternattiva Demokratika Spokesperson on Education, said, today that the “issue of electronic ID cards is becoming a nightmare for the expatriate community in Malta. People have been waiting for over six months to get an appointment for the issuing of their Maltese electronic ID card.

“Now, Maltese government schools – and even schools like the Verdala School – are not accepting enrolment of expatriate children in Maltese schools if the parents are not in possession of the electronic ID. This is totally unacceptable and goes against the basic right to schooling of children.”

Prof Arnold Cassola, Alternattiva Demokratika Chairperson, said, “Eight months ago, when expatriate children were prevented from attending school in Malta, the then opposition spokesperson Evarist Bartolo had said: ‘I am sure that they were not going to put our system in a crisis. Why allow rigid bureaucratic regulations to come before children?’

He added, that given that Malta has been a member of the EU for more than eight years, “we should become less insular in our mindsets, policies and decisions.”

“Evarist Bartolo, now education Minister, should ensure that he puts his actions where his mouth is,” concluded Prof. Cassola.

The ‘Up in Arms’ class action group highlighted this situation last week saying that “some schools are refusing to accept the old ‘A’ ID card as proof of residency.”

The Group said that “parents attempting to enrol their children in school who do not have the new e-residency card are being informed that procedures have changed and they must now take all documents including the e-residency card to the Department of Education in Valletta.

“The old ID card is not acceptable at the D.O.E and without the e-residency card parents will be liable for fees.”

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