Thi Lakin School in Attard, a private institution founded in 1970, announced its immediate closure on Wednesday, 15 May 2026, via email, leaving parents scrambling to find alternative placements mid-academic year. The closure stems from declining enrollment that rendered the school financially unsustainable, according to head Tami Mac an Bhaird. Registration fees are being refunded.
Why This Matters
• Immediate impact: Families with children in nursery, kindergarten, and primary levels must secure new school placements within weeks.
• Financial strain revealed: Rising teacher wages and property rental costs have made operating small private schools increasingly difficult in Malta.
• Systemic warning: The closure highlights broader pressures facing Malta's independent school sector, which educated 13.7% of students as of the 2023-2024 academic year.
• Limited government support: No specific assistance program exists for parents displaced by private school closures outside pandemic-related schemes.
The Breaking Point
The Malta-based school had prepared to continue through June, but cancellations in the final two weeks forced an abrupt shutdown. Mac an Bhaird noted the institution had become a "stepping stone" for families waiting for spots at Church schools or other independent institutions—a pattern that eroded the stable enrollment base necessary for long-term planning.
While total student enrollment across Malta increased 1.2% in 2023-2024, independent schools have not benefited equally from this growth. The sector struggles with a shrinking traditional student base even as non-Maltese students now comprise nearly 25% of private institution enrollments. Thi Lakin School's experience reflects a 2010 confidential report by PricewaterhouseCoopers that warned independent schools would lose roughly 2,000 students by 2020 due to declining birth rates—a projection that appears to have materialized.
What Drove the Financial Collapse
Three interconnected factors pushed Thi Lakin School past viability:
Teacher wage increases mandated by collective agreements have significantly raised payroll costs. A 2024 agreement alone required a €27 million government injection over five years to help independent schools align educator salaries with state and church school levels without triggering unaffordable fee hikes. For smaller institutions like Thi Lakin School, absorbing these costs with a dwindling student body proved impossible.
High property rental fees in Attard compounded operational pressures. Unlike Church schools, which benefit from subsidized facilities, or state schools with government-owned buildings, independent schools must rent or purchase property at market rates—a burden that grows heavier as enrollment drops.
Fee affordability created a vicious cycle. As costs rose, so did tuition—pushing middle-class families toward technically free Church schools or fully free state schools. This exodus reduced revenue, forcing further fee increases that accelerated departures. Despite tax rebates available to parents using independent schools, the cumulative cost remained prohibitive for many households.
Impact on Families and the Sector
The closure affects approximately 150 students across nursery, kindergarten, and primary levels. Parents reported feeling "devastated" by the abrupt announcement. Unlike planned shutdowns that allow transition time, the mid-year closure leaves families with limited placement options at state schools, Church schools, or other independent institutions such as San Andrea School, Chiswick House School, St Martin's College, and Verdala International School.
The Malta Ministry for Education maintains lists of alternative schools but offers no dedicated financial assistance for families affected by private school closures. The government has previously offered financial support for parents during COVID-19-related school closures, but that program addressed pandemic circumstances, not institutional insolvency.
Church schools present the most accessible alternative. These institutions operate on government funding, with the state covering teacher salaries while requesting only voluntary donations from families. However, available spots are limited, and demand spikes when independent schools close create waitlists—the very dynamic that turned Thi Lakin School into a temporary holding zone for families awaiting Church school openings.
Broader Systemic Warnings
The Independent Schools' Association (ISA) called in May 2026 for a "national reset" of Malta's education system, arguing that current structures rest on "outdated assumptions" disconnected from contemporary realities. The association proposed an independent National Educational Review to address challenges including migration patterns, multilingual classrooms, neurodiversity, socioeconomic inequalities, digital transformation, and mental health trends.
The ISA's warnings gained urgency with Thi Lakin School's closure. While no other permanent shutdowns occurred during the 2025-2026 academic year, the association's call for structural reform suggests widespread concern that small and mid-sized independent schools face existential threats without policy interventions.
The potential introduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) on private school fees looms as an additional threat. If implemented, VAT would increase tuition costs further, likely accelerating the shift toward publicly funded options and potentially leaving only elite institutions with wealthy clientele able to survive.
Malta's English language teaching sector—another segment of private education—experienced a 6% decline in foreign students in 2025 due to rising operational costs and stricter visa regulations, demonstrating how multiple policy and economic pressures converge to destabilize private education providers.
What Parents Should Do Now
Families displaced by the closure should immediately contact the Malta Ministry for Education at www.education.gov.mt or by phone during business hours for guidance on available placements. State schools provide free education and represent the most direct option for immediate enrollment. The Ministry maintains current lists of Church schools and the approximately 25 independent schools operating across Malta.
For younger children previously in Thi Lakin School's nursery and kindergarten programs, 42 non-state kindergartens operate alongside state options. Primary-age students can access 37 non-state primary schools or their state equivalents.
Typical timelines: The Ministry typically processes placement requests within 1-2 weeks, though availability depends on current enrollment at receiving schools. New placements generally begin within the same academic term.
International residents and expat families: EU and non-EU residents follow the same placement procedures. International families should ensure that passport and residence documentation is available when applying.
Academic calendar note: The current academic year runs until the end of June. The Ministry will endeavor to secure placements immediately to minimize disruption to students' learning.
Parents should verify refund timelines for registration fees paid to Thi Lakin School and request written confirmation of transcript transfers to ensure academic records reach new institutions without delay.
The Larger Question
Thi Lakin School's closure raises important questions about the viability of independent education in Malta's evolving demographic and economic landscape. With Church schools offering near-equivalent education without fees and state schools benefiting from sustained government investment, the middle market for independent schools appears increasingly fragile.
The government's €27 million subsidy in 2024 prevented widespread closures temporarily but did not address the fundamental structural issues the ISA identified: declining birth rates, affordability pressures, and operational cost escalation. Whether policymakers will implement the systemic reforms the association requested—or allow market forces to gradually consolidate the sector into a handful of high-end institutions—remains uncertain.
For now, approximately 150 families formerly served by Thi Lakin School face the immediate task of securing stable educational placements for their children, a disruption that underscores the human cost of institutional failure in Malta's education sector.
