Maria Regina Girls' Junior Lyceum of Blata l-Bajda has set up an international students' association to cater for its steadily increasing foreign student population. The school's international students come from Finland, Slovakia, Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, Syria, the UK, Japan, Albania and the US.

The association aims to encourage the school's international students to share their culture with Maltese students, to enrich their school experience and facilitate their integration at the school. Head Maria Debono encouraged and supported the association, which is working in close collaboration with the Education Division's international relations office.

The association members, who meet regularly, have already undertaken two projects. One involved all the association's members as well as the teachers of foreign origin or descent, who set up an exhibition to create a virtual journey of the countries they represented.

The students made posters and created Powerpoint presentations, brought traditional items and souvenirs, and also served traditional food for visitors to sample.

Paul Attard, former principal of St Ignatius College, and representatives of the international relations office and the school administration presided over the event.

The association members have also planted crocus bulbs as the start of the 'Crocus project' - a nationwide project launched by the international relations office, under the auspices of the Holocaust Trust of Ireland. This project will eventually involve the whole school, with other schools in Malta and abroad.