Education: Stipends increase by 10%, including those who work 25 hours a week

New law to regulate the teaching profession

Students to conduct their SEC exams at their own school

Janet Fenech

Students across Malta and Gozo will benefit a 10% increase in their stipends. Those students who work up to 25 hours a week, will also benefit from this increase. These two measures will see a total investment of €5 million.

The government is set to invest in private sectors that offer apprenticeships, especially in the technology sector. This investment will see an increase of laboratories and other facilities.

In the coming year, a new law will be enacted to regulate the teaching profession that will include KGEs and LSEs in a bid to continue supporting the education sector, whilst the mentoring program for newly graduated teachers administered by The University of Malta, MCAST and the Institute for Education will continue.

The pilot project held this year, which saw some students carrying out their SEC exams in their own schools, is set to continue into the next year. This initiative set to reduce the amount of stress students feel when being examined in a new environment will see a €1 million investment, which is especially being implemented to support students with disabilities.

Moreover, government schools will be seeing an investment in the modernisation of STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) subject facilities, with 180 science laboratories said to benefit from this.

Additionally, the digital infrastructural network in government schools will be upgraded. For instance, greater electricity provisions for schools will be taken to enable the introduction of air-conditioning systems in classrooms. Moreover, government schools in Qormi, Mellieha Ghaxaq and some in Gozo will be modernised.

With regards to research and innovation, more funds for programs that fall under the Maltese council for science and technology will become available.

A new scheme called ‘Horizon Support Measures’ will facilitate and encourage the participation of researchers and entities to take part in the ‘Horizon Europe’ research funding program. Moreover, the government will be launching a new program called ‘Go to Market’ which will see the commercialisation of advanced level technology both locally and internationally.