Rise in students visiting Heritage Malta sites

A total of 54,507 primary and secondary school students have visited Heritage Malta free of charge between October 2009 and September this year – a notable rise over the 40,000 the previous year.

There were also 66,419 persons who visited the museums and historical sites free of charge as part of Notte Bianca and other organised events. This meant that the total number of free visits rose to 120,926 – a 62 per cent rise over the previous year.

Answering a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Ċensu Galea, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said there was no particular arrangements for such free educational visits, but Heritage Malta annually threw its doors open to all schools without distinction whether they were state, Church or private ones.

The agency also prepared material and organised activities that reflected the national curriculum at primary and secondary levels free of charge. It helped the Education Division’s Careers Guidance Section through organised visits relating to careers in the cultural and restoration sectors, as well as the Foundation for Educational Services through writing sessions in museums and heritage sites.

Groups of post-secondary and tertiary-level students could visit free of charge accompanied by their lecturers, but there were no statistics on how many had taken advantage of this facility.