The government is planning to introduce a scholarship scheme aimed at providing educational assistance to disadvantaged students.

Speaking at a government postgraduate scholarship awards ceremony yesterday, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said it is unacceptable that potential talent is left untapped simply because certain individuals might not have the resources to pursue their education. The scheme, intended to address the problem, will be announced later this year.

Through such scholarship schemes, the country is "answering to today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities". The country would be investing in its citizens and workforce, the country's greatest resource.

To achieve its vision, Malta needs to be at the cutting edge of all the sectors in question.

Dr Gonzi spoke at length on how education plays a crucial function in the development of the country, emphasising in particular the role it plays in educating the workforce. A skilled and educated workforce is essential, he said, in attracting foreign investors.

Referring to the pre-budget consultation document, he said the government is making a "massive investment" in the educational sector across all levels. Through EU funding, the government is focusing on integrating IT into education, enhancing Mcast and other vocational institutes, investing in child-care facilities, giving scholarships to teachers and giving special attention to the role research plays in education.

Education Minister Dolores Christina said that now that the scholarship scheme has been in place for three years it is time for certain fine tuning of its acceptance criteria. During the evaluation process, a spokesman for the Education Ministry said, it was found that some eligibility criteria might need to be broadened slightly in the interest of inclusivity.

The spokesman said the application period for undergraduate scholarship applications closed on September 2 and 150 scholarships will be awarded at the end of the evaluation period.

As many as 41 individuals were awarded a postgraduate scholarship yesterday. Fifteen scholarships were awarded for doctorate courses and 26 for masters courses.

The courses were considerably varied, spanning across areas such as behavioural sciences, wind technology, cancer studies, adult education, politics and communications.