A webinar involving a discussion between world-renowned Estonian education researcher Märt Aro and Malta’s former education and foreign minister Evarist Bartolo will be held on Wednesday, June 8 from 4 to 6pm on MS Teams.

Entitled ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly Truth About Innovation in Education’, it is being organised by the recently set up education entity Mindful Education Malta under the auspices of Kenneth Vella, Malta’s ambassador to Estonia and Finland.

Märt Aro

Since 2004, Aro has established numerous organisations and companies in the area of education development. He is the co-founder of DreamApply.com, a student application management platform, launched in 2011 and used by more than 300 universities across 40 countries, serving millions of users annually.

He is currently board chairman of the NGO Nordic EdTech Forum - N8 (www.nordicedtechforum.org/) that brings together 200 founders of education innovation initiatives from eight northern European countries to share experience and foster cooperation to drive education forward. In this regard, he also regularly collaborates with the UN, EU, Estonian Ministry of Education and Research, People-Centered Internet, and many others. He recently also started to work with Dr Vella to facilitate collaboration between Nordic educational entities and Maltese institutions.

Aro is chairman of the NGO Nordic EdTech Forum that brings together 200 founders of education innovation initiatives from eight northern European countries

Evarist Bartolo. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Dr Bartolo served as education minister between October 1996 and September 1998 and from March 2013 till January 2020, when he was appointed foreign minister. He served as an MP between April 1992 and March 2022.

Among the various reforms and initiatives taken during his tenure as education minister are the introduction of the one tablet per child initiative at primary level, the breakfast club, the setting up of the Malta Literacy Agency, the My Journey initiative, free school transport for all students, free childcare in 129 state and private centres, the opening of the Malta Visual and Performing Arts School and the consolidation of the Malta Sports School.

Commenting on the webinar, Mindful Education Malta founder and director Elaine Azzopardi said this entity’s primary aim is to provide professional development opportunties for educators and teachers through short courses, webinars and conferences. “I am sure it will be well attended not only by local and international educators but also by other stakeholders,” Azzopardi said.

For further information, e-mail education officer Pamela Zerafa at pamela.zerafa@ilearn.edu.mt. To register, fill in the form online.