The 177 laboratories in government secondary schools will have new equipment when students return after the summer recess, an investment worth €1.5 million part-financed by the EU.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was given a brief tour yesterday of the laboratories at the Sta Luċija Girls' Secondary School to see the equipment for himself, which includes interactive white boards for every laboratory, router machines, laser cutters and embroidery machines.

With his hands itching to try out a digital temperature recording machine that could be linked to a computer network, Dr Gonzi said the investment was part of the government's drive as part of Vision 2015 to encourage more students to take up science and technology subjects.

He said it was a turning point to start exposing children at kinder and primary school level to science and technology.

He met a group of students who will soon be travelling to the Netherlands as part of a school exchange programme.

Education Minister Dolores Cristina, who accompanied Dr Gonzi, said vocational subjects would be introduced in government secondary schools from the 2011 scholastic year. She denied that any course fees would be charged, other than the tariffs for the internationally-recognised assessments held every year.

She said talks were under way for the assessments to be recognised by the University of Malta and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology as part of their entry criteria.

Parliamentary Assistant Franco Debono was also present.