The Malta Information Technology Agency has recently launched the procurement process for an "e-learning solution" which aims to bring about a positive change for students, parents and teachers.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport and the Ministry for Infrastructure, Transport and Communications, through MITA, are working together to facilitate an exciting development in the way students, parents and teachers interact through e-learning.

The e-Learning solution is part of the Smart Learning Strategy which outlines the government's ambition to transform teaching and learning and provide a personalised e-Learning space to learners. This follows the recent replacement of all PCs in state primary and secondary schools as well as works in a number of schools to extend their local area network.

The call for expression of interest, published by MITA, is the first step in the process of identifying a long-term strategic partner who can provide an e-learning solution that best fits the needs of Maltese schools and throughout the project term support the government to encourage the successful use of the solution within schools. Interested bidders will be assessed and MITA will negotiate with a short-list of bidders to ultimately identify the best partner in the provision of an e-learning solution.

Technology already plays an important part in the way students are learning in schools but there is still untapped potential. It has become second nature for children to use technology. They send text messages, surf the web, chat with their friends online, use digital cameras and play computer games. Through the application of multiple technologies, learning can become a more exciting experience and this can have diverse positive influence on children's educational achievements.

Technology helps children to be more creative and independent in their learning, facilitates access and sharing of information and improves speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. Through this multi-million project, learning will no longer be confined to a four-walled classroom. An e-learning solution will bring about a tangible change in education and numerous benefits will be felt by all its users; namely students, teachers, parents, school principals and administrators and education policy makers.

Through an e-learning Solution, all users will be able to carry out activities online. Students will be able to store learning content and resources in their own personal online learning space, access a repository of learning content online and receive and submit homework online; teachers will be able to distribute and receive homework online and use tools to correct learners' work; parents will be able to view their children's reports, attendance, grades and monitor more closely their children's educational performance; school administrators will be able to extract up-to-date management information and develop automated reports in a timely manner; whilst education policy makers will be able to make decisions based on up-to-date and evidence-based data.

MITA strongly believes that investing in an e-Learning solution for schools will help teachers tailor their teaching to the learners' needs more effectively, enable parents to be more involved in their children's educational progress, and most importantly offer a more engaging and fun way for children to learn.

Ms Azzopardi is a senior consultant at the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA).

www.mita.gov.mt

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