Malta has been recognised as a training centre for students from Belgium's Wallonia region who receive government funds to learn English.

This means that students from the predominantly French-speaking southern region of that country can opt to study English in Malta.

"We are hoping for as many students as possible," Roger Bugeja, the school director of EF International Language Schools, told The Times.

A grant known as the Marshall Plan was launched by the government of Wallonia in 2005 with the aim of reinvigorating the regional economy. It included €160 million for training, including language tuition for job seekers and specialised workers in small businesses.

Initially, Malta was not recognised as an adequate place where students could study English as part of the grant. However, following interventions by Malta's Ambassador to Belgium, Pierre Clive Agius, the island was recently recognised as a quality English-speaking destination.

Mr Bugeja said Malta had a lot going for it - apart from the sea and good weather, it was cheaper than Britain and other countries where students could learn English. Plus, it used the common currency.

He said students would be coming to Malta for three- or six-month periods between October and June, another positive aspect of being recognised for the fund since that would be the low-season for tourism.

Mr Bugeja said work had been underway for around 18 months to get Malta accepted for the purposes of the fund. Although he would not be drawn into saying how many students from Wallonia were expected to come to Malta to learn English, he said it was hoped that many would choose the island.

"The biggest victory was getting Malta on the map," he said.