Residency Malta Agency has pledged financial support to Maria Regina College in Mosta with an aim of upgrading learning areas and tools through which students can make the best of their learning experience. Minister for Education Justyne Caruana and Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Communities Alex Muscat presided over the signing of the agreement.
The sum of €40,000 will go towards a much-needed upgrade of the secondary school’s science laboratories. The embellishment project will include new electricity and water supplies, flooring, storage, student and teacher benches, lighting, and new science equipment.
An additional fund of €25,000 allocated to the school by Residency Malta Agency will accelerate the complete refurbishment of the primary school library. With work scheduled to start in June, the project will include the redecoration of walls, the installation of parquet flooring, LED lighting panels, oak units to house the books, and a reading, storytelling and puppet theatre corner. The school will also invest in modern teaching resources like big books and learning props.
Minister for Education Justyne Caruana said that, “This investment will go towards projects not only to improve and provide more qualitative learning, but to have better environments and more facilities for our children to truly receive a holistic education”. Minister Caruana went on to say that this investment goes hand-in-hand with other investments being made in the education sector. “The government’s commitment to the education sector is a priority. This is being done not only through investment in educational infrastructure, but also, as it has done in recent days, through the publication of different strategies in various areas of the sector.”
Minister Caruana also said that this commitment by the government and the Ministry for Education is for the benefit of our children and our educators, towards a more qualitative education for the students.
“We acknowledge the importance of investment in education and of both science and reading in the educational journey of each student. They are both considered pivotal skills for a student’s development. The government’s aim is to improve access to such skills and encourage students to love learning by making the right tools available to them”, said Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Communities Alex Muscat.
“The government’s residency-by-investment programme is generating significant wealth for Malta in challenging times”, continued the parliamentary secretary. “Recent changes to the programme will see increased funds going directly to social projects and NGOs, apart from increased direct revenue diverted to the Consolidated Fund. It is through such initiatives that the government is ensuring a sustainable economy in the future.”
“The upgrade of the science laboratory facilities is in line with the introduction of Core Science as part of the learning outcomes programmes being implemented in secondary schools”, said Patrick Decelis, Head of the Maria Regina College Network. “It will also strengthen the uptake of STEM subjects by students, in collaboration with the vocational subjects already being offered. Thus, the school will be able to offer a holistic STEM learning experience.”
“The library project is crucial and students who learn to love reading from an early age will get a head start through the acquisition of general knowledge and an extensive vocabulary that will enable them to express themselves well and gain achievements in other areas. The generous donation by Residency Malta Agency, for which we are thankful, will go a long way in helping us reach our goals”, continued Mr Decelis.
“Residency Malta Agency is committed towards supporting projects that promote social development”, said Charles Mizzi, Chief Executive Officer of Residency Malta Agency. “By allocating funds for local projects from revenue generated via our residency by investment programme, we believe we are making a material contribution which citizens can tangibly reap.”
Source: Office of the Prime Minister