The education authorities are considering applications to open digital tertiary institutions in Malta offering online degrees and other higher education courses, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said.

Speaking during the launch of a new ‘Referencing Report’ on the educational system in Malta by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, Mr Bartolo said the government was being cautious on this new development but acknowledged this might be the way forward.

Mr Bartolo said that while it was right for the country to address its financial deficit, more work needed to be done to address the educational deficit it was still facing.

He said steps were being made in the right direction, particularly through the introduction of apprenticeship schemes which have attracted some 800 recruits.

The Referencing Report, now in its fourth edition, is used nationally by education providers, learners and employers to measure the level of education given in Malta in various levels.

The new update takes into consideration the various changes that took place within the Maltese educational sphere over the past two years.

The Malta Qualifications Framework has now been updated with the insertion of two new levels covering the learning gained, but not yet rated at Level 1 and acknowledge any learning that has taken place to serve as a stepping stone towards Level 1.