project is being carried out whereby state schools are being redistributed into a number of colleges in
order to create a better teaching and learning setting, with thoroughly improved college infrastructure,
organisation, quality of teaching delivery and complementary high PC-to-student ratio. The educational
reform also encompasses the revision of the structure of the Education Division into two separate
directorates - the Malta Educational Directorate and the Educational Services Directorate. The Malta
Educational Directorate will act as a central national policy maker and regulator for the Maltese
educational system and will be responsible for the setting of standards and ensuring the delivery of
quality education. Meanwhile, the Educational Services Directorate is responsible for the co-ordination
of the operation of educational services and schools, and fulfils the role of a support and services
resource. As part of the educational reform, the Maltese Government has also embarked on extending the
current school stock by building new and refurbishing existing state schools. For the purpose of a fully
comprehensive education system, the Institute for Tourism Studies today also falls under the
responsibility of the Ministry for Education, Youth and Employment.
Government’s policy is to promote life long education and training and to provide the required
institutions and programmes in order to offer the widest possible range of opportunities to satisfy the
needs of individuals as well as of a changing economy. Consequently, the Employment and Training
Corporation, the Further Studies and Adult Education Department within the Education Division,
MCAST, and the University of Malta provide courses in a wide range of subjects for updating
professional skills of employees. Furthermore, in 2006 the National Commission for Higher Education
(NCHE) was established with the aim of ascertaining the needs and the aspirations of further and higher
education, informing the public of issues connected with sustainable development of further and higher
education sectors in Malta in order to meet the needs of society; and providing advice to Government on
any matter which is connected with further and higher education in Malta. The NCHE will conduct a
widespread sectoral skills gap analysis project through 2008. The project will consist of identifying the
major sectors to be reviewed, appointing experts to conduct a short review of long term developments,
and subsequently analysing the readiness of the educational system to develop such skills. Through this
exercise Government will be able to determine the priorities for educational investment in terms of skills
for specific sectoral development.
The promotion of life long learning together with non-formal learning have been the major contributors
towards creating the need of qualifications framework. In fact, the Malta Qualifications Council has
launched the National Qualifications Framework for Life Long Learning in June 2007. This framework
is based on the European Commission’s proposal of a European Qualification Framework. Furthermore,
the Malta Qualifications Council initiated the drafting of a policy document on the recognition of
informal and non-formal education and launched a draft passport of vocational qualifications which
include the recognition and validation of informal and non-formal learning.
Given the importance of education in the fields of science and ICT, full tax credits are provided for those
companies who pay the studies of employees in the areas of science and IT, and tax credits for persons
following advanced studies leading to a PhD in science. Furthermore, funds have been allocated for the
‘Government of Malta Scholarship Scheme’ for studies and research at Master and PhD levels.
2.3. The environment
The quality of the environment impinges directly on the quality of life of both the local inhabitants, as
well as on tourism. Government’s environment strategy is based on instilling a culture that respects the
environment, on investment to manage responsibly generated waste with the least negative impact on the
environment, and on the regeneration of the environment. Concurrently, in view of Malta’s dependency
on oil for the generation of electricity and water, measures implemented include incentives to households
for the purchase of solar heating energy savers and electric cars, and investment in plants for wastewater
treatment.