For the past months and days, teachers all around the island were working tirelessly to prepare for the start of yet another scholastic year, starting today – an event which brings thousands upon thousands of students back in their classrooms for the next phase of their education.

That being said, classrooms (and education as a whole) in Malta have changed drastically over the years.

A photo posted by the National Archives of Malta gives some insight into what school life was actually like for Maltese students back in the 1930s.

The decades-old image shows around 30 schoolgirls sat behind wooden benches, as their teacher – a nun – teaches them how to embroider. This was a skill expected of girls during said period.

Nuns very often doubled as teachers back then, a relatively rare sight nowadays.

Another significant change between the present day’s and the 1930s’ education system is how boys and girls would often be separated to learn gender-specific skills.

The photo shared by the National Archives of Malta forms part of the Emanuele Sciortino Colelction and is believed to have been shot at Our Lady Immaculate School in Hamrun, commonly known as ‘The Egyptians’.

This nickname stems from the fact that the Franciscan Sisters of Egypt used to take care of the school.

How have things changed since you were last in school?

Facebook/The National Archives of Malta