The Skolasajf 2021 service was given between 12th July and 3rd September, 2021. This year the main theme for Skolasajf was built upon the slogan ‘An I in every wInner’. This slogan aimed to punctuate the importance that every individual has his own individual talents which can make him successful in his chosen path. Every person, whether a child and adult, should be encouraged to cultivate their strengths, and to feel good about their abilities. Together we can contribute to be a winning team.
The Skolasajf service was given from State Primary Schools and from the 5 Resource Centres, around Malta and Gozo. It ran for eight weeks from Monday to Friday, from 08:30 till 12:30 hours. An extended service for working parents was also offered in selected centres, from 07:00 till 08:30 and 12:30 till 17:30 hours.
Commencement of Skolasajf was staggered over two days, which were the 12th and 13th July 2021.
- Children from Year 1 and over started Skolasajf on Monday 12th July 2021.
- Children in Kinder 1 and Kinder 2 started Skolasajf on Tuesday 13th July 2021.
There was also a daily staggered entry to the centres. This was just one of the guidelines in place issued by the Health Authorities, to help secure health and safety.
The work to make the Skolasajf service run smoothly starts in earnest from months before. In fact, February 2021 saw the opening of the Skolasajf Job Vacancies.
Skolasajf workers were instrumental in the implementation of the Skolasajf Programme. The activities presented in the Programme Manual brought to the attention of the Skolasajf 2021 participants, a number of sub-themes that helped explore the main theme ‘An I in every wInner’.
The main theme was complemented by the new Skolasajf logo, which was inspired by the winning design submitted by Dasa Kitic in the Skolasajf Logo Competition. The competition rewarded the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placed entries with prizes from Robocoach and Edusell.
The winning entry was based on the concept of a multicolored pinwheel, representing diversity and the contribution that each one of us gives to propel forward our personal and common good.
A pinwheel moves forward thanks to the force of the wind, which is the knowledge that each one of us must cultivate and use to achieve his dreams. Everyone must make sure that the pinwheel continues to spin and turn forward by taking advantage of each opportunity to develop our talents, to grow and learn.
The programme had a number of modifications to help mitigate the conditions brought about by the COVID-19 situation. The measures taken were in line with the directives as issued by the Health Authorities.
The modifications to the programme included the elimination of any outings, concerts, open days, activities of mass groups, mixing between classes, any form of games that include contact between the players, and any visitors to the centres. Students did activities which were class based and online, taking in consideration social distancing and avoidance of possible times of cross contamination.
FES made sure that all possible health and safety measures were taken to ensure the wellbeing of children, staff, and guests alike. These included the use of PPE, compulsory temperature readings for anyone entering the centre, advocacy for frequent washing and sanitisation of hands, frequent cleaning and sanitisation of the furniture and premises, and only officially authorised persons were allowed in the centres.