€13m more for new schools

Heavy investment will continue to be made in education, with more new schools built and a bigger vote for the University of Malta and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (Mcast).

The Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools will be allotted an extra €13 million for the development of new schools. Work will continue on the new primary school in Pembroke, the secondary school in Victoria and that in Mosta.

Financial assistance will be granted to schools for the employment of facilitators and €16 million invested in an IT network for the schools, a project that will be carried out over a number of years.

The university's financial allocation will increase by €4.4 million to €36 million and another €1.5 million will be invested in the new ICT Faculty, research and in the library. The scholarship project called STEPS will benefit from an investment of €10 million over a four-year period.

Mcast will be receiving an additional €13.3 million partly so that lecturers would have the opportunity to improve their qualifications. Another six projects, amounting to €5.7 million, will be undertaken for the college to provide multimedia training, a language laboratory and the purchase of new computer equipment.

The government will also be setting up new childcare centres in Siġġiewi and Pembroke.

With regard to sport, a new complex is planned in Kirkop and another in the north through a public-private partnership. The government's sports programmes will reach more of the population and in another initiative aimed at getting people to become more active, 15.25 per cent of the cost of bicycles will be refunded, a measure the government estimates will benefit about 6,000 people.