Polish boxer arrested over suspected St Julian’s murder
A 27-year-old Polish professional boxer has been arrested in connection with the suspected murder of a 31-year-old Moroccan man in St Julian’s. The victim was found dead in Spinola Gardens on St George’s Road at around 6.30am on Sunday. Police said the suspect was traced to St George’s Bay about 90 minutes later after officers analysed CCTV footage from the area. Witnesses reported seeing the two men involved in a fight. The victim is believed to have suffered a deep cut to the back of his head after being punched, falling backwards and striking his head on concrete. The Polish national was in Malta on holiday and had been due to leave the country on Monday. Police and forensic experts remained at the scene, which was cordoned off as investigations continued under the direction of Magistrate Joseph Mifsud. The victim was understood to live in Malta. (The Times of Malta)
New school behaviour framework to be introduced
The Government is preparing a new behavioural framework for students that will introduce updated protocols covering behaviour, searches and responses to emergencies across schools. Prime Minister Robert Abela announced the plans during an education discussion with educators at the MCAST campus in Paola. He said consultation with school heads would begin in the coming days before the framework is published. The aim, he said, is to give educators greater certainty about how to respond in particular circumstances while ensuring a healthy and safe working environment. Abela also said the new school year had started with almost 200 new educators. He highlighted the ongoing review of the National Curriculum, saying it should better prepare students for the labour market and developments such as artificial intelligence. (TVM News)
PN expresses education concern after dismal PISA results
Malta’s latest PISA results have highlighted significant gaps between local students and the OECD average in reading, mathematics and science. The 2025 assessment, covering 91 countries, found that 52% of Maltese students reached at least Level 2 proficiency in reading, compared with 69% across the OECD. In mathematics, 56% reached the baseline level, against 65% internationally, while the figure for science was 63%, compared with 74%. Malta’s performance also declined compared with 2022 in all three subjects, with reading and science scores falling below those recorded in every assessment before 2022. Nationalist Party leader Alex Borg has called for a national conference involving politicians, unions, educators and students to discuss the findings. He said the results should prompt a broader examination of education policy, including school infrastructure, teachers’ working conditions and the resources available to educators. According to the assessment, 43% of Maltese students attended schools where principals reported inadequate physical infrastructure was hindering education. (Maltatoday)
