HSBC Malta Foundation donated €10,000 to Nature Trust – Foundation for Environmental Education FEE Malta’s EkoSkola programme, and €13,000 for the Water Explorer Programme and various water projects carried out in schools.

HSBC Malta Foundation’s contribution also supports the Young Reporters for the Environment Programme (YRE), as well as the YRA Award Ceremony. YRA encourages students to conduct journalistic investigations about environmental issues to report about them to the local community via articles, photos and video clips.

“HSBC Malta has been investing in EkoSkola for over 12 years because we believe that the future of our environment requires a mindset change that can be brought about by new generations of citizens choosing to live a more sustainable lifestyle than previous generations,” said HSBC Malta’s CEO Andrew Beane in his address during the summit.

“Through a set of interrelated actions, EkoSkola programme helps young people to understand and appreciate the opportunity and responsibility that they have to bring about the needed change through simple, yet practical everyday acts,” the CEO added.

“EkoSkola inspires young people to actively engage in their environment by encouraging them to actively protect it,” said Vincent Attard, President of Nature Trust Malta.

“From the classroom, the programme expands to the entire school and eventually nurtures change in the community at large. The EkoSkola programme is an ideal way for schools and students to embark on a meaningful journey towards improving the environment in both the school and the locality,” Mr Attard added.

Other initiatives covered by the Foundation’s donations include Eco-School 9th Young People’s Summit, the 14th EkoSkola Parliament Session as well as the Learning About Forests Programme (LEAF)—an international outdoor learning programme promoting awareness and knowledge about the key role forests play for sustainable life on our planet and whether that role is being compromised by the way of life we lead.

The Eco-School programme, known in Malta as EkoSkola, was introduced in Malta in 2002, with six pilot schools. Today, the number of participating schools in Malta and Gozo stands at 123. Eco-Schools, an international programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) amongst over 19.5 million students in 68 countries worldwide, aims to mobilise schools to encourage students to adopt an active role in environmental decision-making in their school and community. In 2015, the Eco-Schools programme has been recognised by UNESCO as the Programme for Education for Sustainable Development in the world.

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The projects of the students covered a range of topics like marine biology, electromagnetism, plant ecology, chemistry, insect studies, physical oceanography and operations research.

At the ceremony marking the end of the programme and the distribution of the attendance certificates in Valletta, Gaetano Bugeja, Director of DLAP, highlighted the various initiatives of formal schooling to encourage students to take up STEM subjects, and the encouraging numbers of students choosing Chemistry and Biology. 

The university’s Faculty of Science collaborated with the Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes (DLAP) and HSBC Malta Foundation sponsored the Project Poster Award.  

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