St. Edward's College, Malta

St Edward's College, Malta

Motto	Latin: Virtus Et Honor
Established	1929
Type	Independent school (Malta)
Religion	Roman Catholic
Headmaster	George Psaila BEd, BA, PGDEAM
Governor	Professor Edward de Bono
Founder	Baroness Strickland, Countess della Catena
Location	Cottonera Malta
Students	c. 700
Gender	Boys
Ages	5–18
Houses	4
Publication	The Weekly Gazette
Website	www.stedwards.edu.mt

St Edward's College, Malta is a private Maltese independent school with optional boarding located in Malta. The College population is just under 700 students, aged between 5 and 18 years; it was founded in 1929 by the school benefactor Baroness Strickland, Countess della Catena, who gave a generous gift to establish the College. The College was built on the grounds of what was once a Knights of Malta fort and the rear end of the school is still today surrounded by the bastion walls of the fort. The school was modelled along the lines of and on the ideas and ideals of British Public Schools, initially to educate the boys of the Maltese aristocracy and the boys of the British Military officers based in Malta.^[1]

Background history

Cottonera Military Hospital in 1906

The Governor of Malta, Sir John Philip Ducane, managed to obtain the buildings of what was once the Cottonera Military Hospital in Vittoriosa, along with the parade ground adjoining to St. Clement’s bastions built by the Knights of Malta. The Military Hospital was where Florence Nightingale once worked and spent some time nursing the wounded soldiers from the Crimean War. The perimeter of the Western side of the site formed part of the impressive Cottonera lines, a fortified wall built by the Knights of St John. The extensive grounds between the bastion walls and the old hospital buildings would serve as ideal recreational areas and would also give the College enough space for expansion when needed.^[2]

Thus, with an ideal site secured and the necessary financial backing guaranteed, a small group of distinguished gentlemen among them senior notable members of the Maltese nobility gathered in the Governor's Palace in Valletta on the 18th of January; 1929, to sign a Foundation Deed of Trust. The following October the College opened its gates to twenty nine foundation pupils!

The numbers of pupils during the College’s first years would remain considerably low due to the relatively high fees which were necessary to keep the College running. The British Council’s timely financial backing made it possible for the College to lower fees for local pupils and, as a result, the population grew steadily with an increasing number of Maltese gentry sending their boys to the school.

In the mid-thirties, an old ammunitions depot built by the Knights of St John was converted into the College’s magnificent chapel. Physics and Chemistry laboratories and additional dormitories were also developed at this time.

By the late thirties it became apparent that the buildings could not be altered or modified further and the construction of a new wing was proposed. However with the advent of World War Two, these plans had to be shelved since the College’s perilously close proximity to Malta’s main harbours necessitated a temporary relocation to the old Seminary in M'dina for the duration of the Second World War.

The building of the new classrooms (the Middle School block) occurred after the boys and college masters moved back to Cottonera in 1946. With the building of the new classrooms complete, few other structural changes were made for nearly two decades when the clear need for modern science facilities became a pressing issue. A successful fund-raising campaign resulted in the laying of the foundation stone of the new block in 1967 by Sir Maurice Dorman, the last British Governor-General of Malta. With a generous donation made by the Trustees of the British Boys Schools of Alexandria and the Victoria College, Alexandria Foundation the much needed Assembly Hall in the new block became a reality.

Main Building

In the late Seventies, the block that used to house the married teachers was converted into the Junior School which also included an Infant’s Section. Due to the College’s growing popularity, the Junior School received a structural revamping and extension in 1994. Classrooms were enlarged and the designs (by Old Edwardian Richard England (architect)) also ensured that the Junior School building now had their own Drama and Music hall as well as an IT room.^[3]

College Houses

The college has three houses named after 3 Governors-General of Malta: DuCane House (Green), Campbell House (Red) and Congreve House (Blue).

Alumni

Among the many famous alumni of the school is Cambridge University Professor Edward De Bono famous for his renown ideas on Lateral Thinking and advisor to many governments and corporations.

Since its foundation in 1929 the school had produced many who went on to serve in the British Military and the Colonial Service in Egypt, Palestine and the Sudan. The school has an old boys association known as the Old Edwardian Association (OE).

Past Headmasters

1929 – 1945 The Most Reverend Monsignor F Kerr McClement
1945 – 1952 The Reverend Father H.B.L. Hughes (aka Fr Louis)
1952 – 1955 Mr Gerald Carey (Acting Headmaster)
1955 – 1966 The Reverend Dom Rudesind Brookes
1966 – 1972 The Reverend Father Bernard Rickett
1972 – 1974 The Reverend Father Alan Dukes
1974 – 1976 Mr Thomas Glass
1976 – 1989 Mr Antoine Cachia Caruana
1989 – 1997 Mr Gerald Briscoe
1997 – 2002 Mr William Dimech
2002 – 2007 Mr Anthony Saliba
2007 – 2012 Mr Michael Chittenden
2012 - Mr George Psaila

References

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