Income through education

Last week the Prime Minister stressed that education was very high on the Government's agenda. The Minister of Education has stated that no stone will be left unturned and no money will be spared to ensure that all Maltese citizens are provided with adequate education. In fact this year the government will be investing a record 11 per cent of its total expenditure on education.

Education is one of the island's areas of excellence and a primary resource. Dr Gonzi said that there are too many young people choosing not to further their studies after secondary school and that it was Government's policy to encourage them to continue their education.

Although one must keep in mind that in Malta relatively few students are progressing to tertiary education, we still have some of the lowest entry requirements for joining the University. The increase in the number of University students should not be carried out at the expense of lowering standards and quality of our courses.

Having said that, and while ensuring that such high standards are achieved and maintained, there is no harm in finding ways to generate some financial gain for our islands from our excellent educational services. One example of a success story is the large number of schools of English that have mushroomed all over the island.

Another interesting area is the number of student conferences being organised here. We congratulate the student organisations who use their time and energy to put forward applications to host international congresses in Malta. We should not underestimate this form of "edu-tourism". Next month, Malta is hosting two conferences whose importance, although somewhat overshadowed by CHOGM, are nonetheless of great significance.

In March 2003, while attending the Paris ELSA International Council Meeting (ICM), the Maltese European Law Students Association (ELSA) succeeded to attract the autumn 2005 ICM to Malta. This means that this week, some 250 students from 29 countries will be visiting us for a weeklong event. President Fenech Adami showed his encouragement to the organisers by giving his distinguished patronage to this meeting. Others, especially potential sponsors, should follow the President's example by giving their full support to the local student organisations for such initiatives.

Another conference being held next month is the World Medicine and Pharmacy Students Joint Symposium (WorldMaPs). The WorldMaPs aims to take a step forward towards realising the vision of effective co-operation among health care professionals worldwide to improve health outcomes for patients.

This is a historic event which is already fully subscribed, and it is a privilege and honour to host it in Malta. This conference is being discussed in many health education institutions all over the world although in Malta it has not as yet been given the publicity it deserves. The conference will be addressed by representatives of key international health associations as well as by Maltese speakers.

Among the latter is Dr Lilian Azzopardi, senior lecturer in the Department of Pharmacy of the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, who is renowned for her contribution to international pharmacy practice education by establishing quality protocols. She has published extensively as well as addressed a number of international conferences.

One hopes that the occasion is taken to entice "edu-tourism" to Malta. Not only do such conferences contribute to put Malta on the international map but we should also ensure that the participants will act as ambassadors to attract tourists to Malta whether they are colleagues, friends and family or indeed other members of the faculty they come from.

The University should take the opportunity to ensure that the correct marketing is done to attract foreign students to Malta during these occasions. The same applies to CHOGM, where University courses should be given that ample publicity. One good example of how to benefit from the CHOGM gathering is the organisation by Dr Suzanne Gatt, a university academic and chairman of the European Branch of the Commonwealth Association of Science Technology and Mathematics Association (CASTE Europe), of a workshop to discuss the challenges faced by science, technology and mathematics education across the world (see below).

Although a lot of progress has already been achieved, we need to market our University further. Malta can gain from foreign students in various ways, not least by countering any possible growth in racial hatred. It is true that we have not yet solved the problem caused by the fact that EU students coming to Malta get their education free of charge when our students, who go to other European universities, very often have to pay for their studies. A solution to this problem needs to be devised.

We also need to develop a culture of providing placements for clinical and other practical studies especially in private practice sector, where foreign students, including Arabs or blacks, are made to feel as welcome as any others.

A warm welcome is extended to all foreign students and to all participants at the conferences.