Clifton Grima is a Maltese lawyer and politician who has served in the Parliament of Malta since 2016. A member of the Labour Party, Grima is also the Minister for Education and Sport.
Clifton Grima | |
|---|---|
| Minister for Education and Sport | |
| Assumed office 29 December 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Justyne Caruana |
| Member of the Parliament of Malta for District 10 | |
| Assumed office 26 March 2022 | |
| Member of the Parliament of Malta for District 9 | |
| In office 11 October 2016 – 26 March 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Leo Brincat |
| Mayor of Msida | |
| In office 2009–2013 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Sciberras |
| Succeeded by | Margaret Baldacchino Cefai |
| Personal details | |
| Political party | Labour Party |
| Alma mater | University of Malta (LL.D.) |
Political career
editIn 2010, Grima graduated from the University of Malta with a Legum Doctor degree.[1] Following this, Grima was elected as the mayor of Msida, serving as mayor from 2009 to 2013. He was later appointed by Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta, to be the CEO of Mount Carmel Hospital.[2]
In the 2013 Maltese general election, Grima, a member of the Labour Party, stood as a candidate for the Parliament of Malta in District 9. Grima was the penultimate candidate to be eliminated, receiving 1,646 votes.[3] In 2016, following the resignation of District 9 incumbent Leo Brincat, Grima won the special election to succeed him in parliament.[4] He was re-elected in the 2017 Maltese general election.[5] During this term, Grima was one of several high-ranking Labour MPs who revolted against Muscat, who was embroiled in a corruption scandal.[6]
In 2017, Grima served as the parliamentary secretary in the Ministry for Education. He held this position until 2020, when he was appointed parliamentary secretary for sport.[7][8]
On 29 December 2021, Grima was appointed Minister for Education and Sport by Prime Minister Robert Abela following the resignation of Justyne Caruana, who had resigned after an ethics scandal.[9][10] Immediately after his appointment as minister, The Shift, an investigative newspaper in Malta, revealed that one of Grima's closest supporters, an official for a water polo team, was suspended from his position for levying death threats against an official of the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta.[11] During his time as minister, Grima promoted inclusivity in schools and opposed a proposal for mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for children.[12][13] Grima has also advocated for the restructuring of Malta's professional sports system, funding grassroots programs to train children in professional sports rather than to hire foreign athletes.[14]
In the 2022 Maltese general election, Grima switched his constituency to District 10 and won re-election in his new constituency.[15][16]
References
edit- ^ "The Minister". Maltese Ministry for Education. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Balzan, Jurgen (2021-12-27). "Clifton Grima appointed as education minister". Newsbook. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Dalli, Miriam (October 4, 2016). "Clifton Grima submits nomination for Labour casual election". Malta Today. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Clifton Grima appointed Education Minister". Times of Malta. December 27, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Hon. Clifton Grima MP". Parliament of Malta. 2017-07-06. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Diacono, Tim (2021-12-15). "Mark Camilleri Names Six 'Rebel' Labour MPs But Says Their Morale Deflated After Robert Abela's Election". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Clifton Grima appointed as the new Minister for Education". Gozo News. 2021-12-27. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Vella, Luke (December 29, 2021). "Clifton Grima sworn in as Education and Sport Minister". Malta Today. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Clifton Grima named Minister of Education". The Malta Independent. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Rossitto, Andrea (December 29, 2021). "Clifton Grima takes Oath of Office as Minister for Education and Sport". Television Malta. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ "Education Minister Clifton Grima's canvasser: a sports official suspended over a death threat". The Shift. December 27, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Bonnici, Julian (2022-07-27). "'Malta's Education System Should Incentivise Educators Who Embrace Inclusivity,' Minister Says After Mario Mallia Firing". Lovin Malta. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Balzan, Jurgen (2022-01-04). "Education minister rules out mandatory vaccines for children". Newsbook. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Zammit, Warren (March 24, 2019). "'It's useless being the best of the weakest' - Clifton Grima". Malta Today. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Vella, Matthew (March 27, 2022). "Labour clinches 39,474 majority in third consecutive victory where low turnout punished PN". Malta Today. Retrieved 2022-08-01.
- ^ Sansone, Kurt (April 1, 2022). "Casual elections for seats vacated by dual-candidacy MPs to be held next week". Malta Today. Retrieved 2022-08-01.