Malta back on Spanish student programme

Malta will probably be among the countries offering English language courses to Spanish students, after an intense campaign by various organisations including the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (Feltom) and the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA).

Malta, the UK and Ireland last year welcomed in excess of 45,000 university students from Spain for an average stay of three weeks each between July and November. The stay was part of the Spanish government's project to send up to a quarter of its university students to improve their English, by providing scholarships to each student worth around €1,650.

Inclusion in the list of countries which BECAS scholarship students may visit is not automatic. The local EFL industry has been eagerly waiting to hear whether Malta will again be chosen as a destination for Spanish English language students.

"Last year there was little time to plan ahead as the scholarships were announced just before the start of the high season. This year all stakeholders are aware of the possibility of having large numbers of Spanish students and can plan ahead more effectively ," Feltom president Andrew Mangion said.

"Feltom and other stakeholders wanted to impress upon the Spanish Education Ministry and the local authorities, the resolve to provide Spanish students with an even better experience in 2008," he said.

As a result, a meeting was held last February with representatives from the Spanish Embassy in Malta, the Malta Police, MTA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Monitoring Board and Feltom. Together they outlined a plan, identifying key areas which could be targeted to impove on the experiences of 2007. Suggestions were made for bookings to be sent as early as possible, for Spanish agents to be well informed about the services provided in Malta, that a 24/7 emergency telephone number be provided for use by students and their representatives should the need arise, and for all service providers to be reminded of the importance of upholding standards.

Last week, Feltom received unofficial confirmation that Malta would be included in this year's programme.

"We anticipate that similar numbers will come this year. At a conservative estimate, this represents an income for the island of around €16 million when spending on tuition, accommodation, transport and leisure activities is considered," he said.