The Government will unveil its strategy to combat illiteracy in the coming weeks,  Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said this afternoon. It will also announce  when the tablet computers will be given to students.

Answering questions by journalists he said the Government was in “no hurry” to start handing out the tablets and stressed that they formed part of the strategy to fight illiteracy.

Before being elected to Government the Labour Party had promised, in its electoral manifesto, that tablet computers will be given to Year 4 students.

During the press conference the minister launched a consultation process to determined ways to make exams more accessible to students with learning disabilities.

Meetings will be held with stakeholders over the next few weeks and a meeting will he held with the public on April 20. The consultation process will come to a close on April 22 with a conference. Details will be announced at a later stage. Feedback can be sent to access.mede@gov.mt.

Today Mr Bartolo also launched measures to make benchmarking exams in Maltese and English more accessible to students with learning disabilities.

For the first time students who sit for the written exam will be assisted by a scribe who will help them make illegible words, legible. During the reading comprehension students with learning disabilities will be assisted with the reading by an electronic screen that will highlight and read out the words for them.