Pupils who end Year 6 are benefiting from a card enabling them to enjoy theatre performances, walk through thousands of years of history in a museum and fully delve into the world of culture.

The addition of 5,000 youngsters to the scheme means that more than 15,000 aged between nine and 13 years (Year 6 to Form 3) are now enjoying the culture card.

The scheme, now in its third year, gives them €15 worth of credit that can be used to access cultural and artistic events.

In the past, the credit had to be broken down into a maximum of €5 for any one event but now they can make use of the full €15 credit at one go. Moreover, a top-up facility will soon be included, allowing users (or their family) to top up their card.

Caldon Mercieca, coordinator at the culture and audiovisuals unit at the Parliamentary Secretariat for Culture, said that in the first year of the scheme the rates of use were unacceptable, with fewer than 100 pupils a month making use of it.

“There was no cultural product catering for such an audience. After years of neglect, it takes time to change the system.”

However, these past couple of months, between 500 and 1,000 pupils a month have been using the culture card.

Upon the opening of the theatre and music season in September, entities such as the National Orchestra, the Manoel Theatre and St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity will be producing full programmes targeted at school pupils.

The culture card complements the Kreattiv scheme, where schools and colleges team up with artists and cultural organisations to organise cultural programmes of value.

For more information visit www.culturecard.net.