EDUCATION IN COTTONERA PART 2
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Part 2: The 19th Century under the British
When the British arrived in Malta in 1800, education did not change overnight. For almost thirty years, learning remained limited and was mostly reserved for children from wealthy families. The system Malta inherited from the Knights of St John was closely tied to the Church and focused largely on religious teaching. Education was seen as a privilege, not a right.
The early education of Dr Don Filippo Amato, born in 1804 and later Vicar General of the Diocese of Malta, reflects this reality well. He began learning at the age of four or five and by 1808 was already being taught by two churchmen in Ħaż-Żebbuġ. Like many boys from upper-class families, he continued his studies through private tutors. At the time, most teachers were either clergymen or foreigners.
Private tuition: Source: rarebooks.uflib.ufl.edu
Private schools slowly increased in number. By around 1810, several were operating across Malta. Their quality varied greatly, and most charged fees that ordinary families could not afford. Some schools taught boys, others girls, and a few offered a wide range of subjects, including languages, mathematics, geography, bookkeeping, and even dancing, often at an extra cost. School days were long, usually divided into morning and afternoon sessions.
Cottonera formed part of this uneven educational scene. In Cospicua, private schools existed alongside church-run institutions, including Mrs Thompson’s school for girls. Although opportunities were still limited, these schools represented early steps towards broader access to learning.
Source: vintag.es
By the late 1820s and early 1830s, private education became more visible and competitive. Advertisements in the Malta Government Gazette show Maltese and foreign teachers opening academies and specialised schools. Subjects expanded to include English, Italian, French, Latin, Greek, arithmetic, bookkeeping, and drawing. Some schools promoted modern teaching methods and advertised native English teachers. At the same time, many reassured parents that religious beliefs would be respected, showing how sensitive the topic of education remained.
Despite this growth, the government played only a small role. By 1816, only a few educational institutions were under public administration. There were not enough proper school buildings, and most educational efforts depended on private individuals or charity.
Gradually, the British authorities began to see education as a way to shape society and support economic growth. Around the Grand Harbour, shipbuilding, trade, and industry were expanding, especially in Cottonera. These activities needed workers with practical and technical skills, something the existing education system did not provide.
A major step forward came in 1819 with the opening of elementary schools in Valletta by the Normal School Society. These schools were funded mainly through donations, subscriptions, and a small government grant. They were divided into separate sections for boys and girls, which was quite progressive for the time. For middle and lower-class families, they offered affordable schooling for the first time.
The 1830s marked a turning point. In 1834, the government recognised the need for trained teachers by appointing Canon Dr Don Fortunato Panzavecchia as President of a proposed Normal School for the Three Cities. That same year, a Normal School was opened specifically for poor children from Senglea, Cospicua, and Vittoriosa. For the first time, working-class children in Cottonera could attend a structured school close to home. The curriculum included reading, writing, Italian, English, arithmetic, moral education, and basic navigation, reflecting the maritime life of the harbour.
In 1834, the University of Malta also underwent reform, offering a six-year course in philosophy, theology, law, or medicine. It was led by a rector and organised into four faculties, but higher education remained inaccessible to most Maltese.
When a Royal Commission visited Malta in 1836, it reported widespread poverty, ignorance, and neglect. Only three government elementary schools existed at the time: in Valletta, Senglea, and Gozo. The Commission recommended urgent action, including the construction of at least ten primary schools, two of them in Cottonera.
As a result, in 1838 and 1839, Malta’s education system was reorganised for the first time. It now included the University, a Lyceum, a public library, scientific and medical institutions, botanical gardens, and a planned network of free primary schools. The Lyceum offered subjects such as languages, mathematics, navigation, history, geography, and drawing. These reforms shifted education away from Church control towards a broader and more practical system. Many opposed the changes, fearing they would weaken religious faith, but the British continued and introduced free schooling based on the British model.
Dr Don Fortunato Panzavecchia. Source: Times of Malta
By 1839, progress was clear. Around 100 students attended the University and about 200 studied at the Lyceum. English, arithmetic, and political economy were becoming popular. The rector, Canon Emmanuel Rosignaud, praised these developments but called for better science facilities and a natural history museum. He believed that drawing and navigation were especially suited to the Maltese people, supporting both artistic trades and maritime industries. He also argued for clearer rules governing navigation qualifications.
Rosignaud paid close attention to primary education. By 1838, a few public primary schools were operating, but many more were needed. In 1839, new free schools opened in Vittoriosa and Senglea, with further schools planned for boys and girls. These schools laid the foundations for the compulsory education system Malta would adopt later. As demand grew, permanent buildings followed. The first primary school in Vittoriosa opened in 1855 in the Old Bishop’s Palace, but overcrowding quickly became a problem. In Cospicua, a school had already opened in 1843, while Senglea hosted a nineteenth-century Normal School, strengthening Cottonera’s role in public education.
During the 19th century, the entrance to the Liceo was at No.76, Strada Mercanti. Source: Times of Malta
These developments took place amid tension. British efforts to replace Italian with English in schools sparked strong opposition from the pro-Italian Nationalist movement. Religious differences added to the conflict, as the Protestant British authorities faced suspicion from Malta’s Roman Catholic population. Teachers were often caught between political pressure, religious concerns, and government expectations, while schools promoted loyalty to the British Empire.
For many Cottonera families, education offered a path to work at the Dockyard. Children who could read, write, and calculate had better chances of securing apprenticeships. From the mid-1800s onward, Dockyard records show a clear link between literacy and employment, with subjects like mechanical drawing and geometry becoming especially important.
Canon Paolo Pullicino. Source: independent.com.mt
Bishop’s Palace, Birgu/ Vittoriosa
From the 1850s, education improved more steadily, particularly under Canon Paolo Pullicino who was appointed Director of Education and pushed for the establishment of the first common schools. Religious congregations also played a vital role, especially in educating girls and orphans. In 1858, the Sisters of St Joseph of the Apparition arrived unexpectedly when their foundress, St Emily de Vialar, was forced to dock in Malta. She took charge of the Hospice for Orphan Girls in Cospicua, founded in 1842, making Cottonera home to the congregation’s first Maltese school.
Their work soon expanded to Valletta, Sliema, and Paola, including the Mater Boni Consilii School. Other congregations followed, such as the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who opened a college in Vittoriosa in 1886 and another in Ħamrun in 1937. In 1874, Salvatore Flores opened a college in Senglea, later taken over in 1918 by the Dominican Order and renamed St Albert’s College.
Another major milestone came with the Christian Brothers. Invited in 1886, they established themselves permanently in Cospicua in 1903, leading to the creation of De La Salle College. They also founded Stella Maris College in Sliema, both of which remain influential today.
By the late nineteenth century, schools had multiplied, but quality often lagged behind. In 1880, Sir P. J. Keenan investigated education across Malta and Gozo. He found over 7,500 pupils in 79 government primary schools, nearly 500 students at the Lyceum, and 168 at the University. However, most schools operated in rented houses with overcrowded classrooms, poor lighting, and ventilation, especially in Cottonera.
St Emily de Vialar. Source: christpulse.com
Pupils of the Mount Carmel School in Birgu run by nuns of the Immaculate Herat of Mary, formerly known as the Franciscan nuns of Egypt: Source: Heritage Malta.
Another major milestone came with the Christian Brothers. Invited in 1886, they established themselves permanently in Cospicua in 1903, leading to the creation of De La Salle College. They also founded Stella Maris College in Sliema, both of which remain influential today.
By the late nineteenth century, schools had multiplied, but quality often lagged behind. In 1880, Sir P. J. Keenan investigated education across Malta and Gozo. He found over 7,500 pupils in 79 government primary schools, nearly 500 students at the Lyceum, and 168 at the University. However, most schools operated in rented houses with overcrowded classrooms, poor lighting, and ventilation, especially in Cottonera.
By 1896–1897, nearly 7,000 children could not be accommodated in primary schools at all. This gap highlighted a painful contradiction: Malta had embraced education for all, but lacked the buildings and resources to support it. The Keenan Report intensified calls for better planning and facilities, shaping the reforms that followed in the twentieth century.
From 1852 to 1918, the Auberge de France was leased to the government as a primary school. Source: Heritage Malta.
Written with reference to:
‘Before the Birth of Real Popular Education in British Colonial Malta (1800-1836)’ by George Cassar. Symposia Melitensia. 2004, Vol.1, p. 31-42.
‘Politics, Religion and Education in Nineteenth Century Malta’ by George Cassar. Journal of Maltese Educational Research, 1(1), 96-118. 2003.
‘The Role of Private Schools in Maltese Education’ by Rev. Prof. Andrew P. Vella, O.P.Malta Yearbook 1961, 139-144, 1961.
‘A Historical Outline of School Architecture in Malta’ by Conrad Thake. Education, 5(3), 7-13., 1995.
‘The Father of Maltese Education’ by Mark Pullicino. Accessed December 2025: https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2015-08-10/newspaper-lifestyleculture/The-Father-of-Maltese-education-6736140160
‘Educational Reforms in Malta in the late 1830s’ by Hilary Spiteri. Accessed December 2025: https://timesofmalta.com/article/educational-reforms-in-malta-in-the-late-1830s.801054