Primary education in Malta during the Second World War (1940-1943) : a social history

Abstract

The objective of this study was to trace the interruptions World War II made on the primary schooling of the Maltese children, in the social, economic and political setting of the time. The research tries to analyse to what extent were the reforms, already being made in the primary education sector in the immediate pre-war years, disrupted with the outbreak of the disastrous war. Ethnographic research was carried out with some people who witnessed the ordeal, both as head/teachers or students, in order to describe better the social and educational situation during the bitter siege. The study mainly focuses on the . most challenging aspects the Education Department had to face - the deprived school accommodation and the scanty staff, in order to keep Primary Education alive. Consequently, it discusses how Primary schooling was limited, primarily due to the restricted curriculum, and how it managed to survive all throughout the hardship. Finally, this dissertation considers the beneficial consequences and negative effects of the war in the educational and social sectors.