Microsoft has donated almost €4million worth of Office packages for use by Maltese schoolchildren.

The agreement was announced this morning by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat during a visit to Qormi primary school.

Dr Muscat saw the children using IT equipment and sat down in a kindergarten classroom and chatted with the children.

The agreement will see some 40,000 pupils in government schools, including Mcast, receive a free Office package that would save them some €100 each. Talks would be held on extending the agreement to include students in church and independent schools.

Dr Muscat said the pupils will not need to queue to get their software - a jibe to what happened in the past - but they will simply register online and download it over the internet.

He said the governemnt would shortly be rolling out its digital strategy.

More information and to register for the software is available from www.mita.gov.mt/studentadvantage