Last week`s international conference held at the Forum Hotel, on the theme "Linking Science, Technology and Mathematics Education and their Social Relevance", attracted 130 participants.

The majority of them were Maltese science teachers from both government and independent schools, while 40 came from other countries including the UK, Italy, Spain, Cyprus, Czeck Republic, Germany, India, Israel, USA, Australia, Cameroon and Nigeria.

The conference was the result of a request to hold it in Malta made by the Europe branch of the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics Education, CASTME. The Faculty of Education`s Suzanne Gatt is a committee member of CASTME`s Europe branch.

The other organising bodies were the faculty and the Education Division. The conference was also sponsored by the British Council, the Malta Tourism Authority, The Malta Council for Science and Technology, the Socrates Office at University, and the Cyprus Mathematical Society.

There were a number of parallel sessions which gave teachers the opportunity to choose which presentations to attend. A total of 43 papers were presented, six of them submitted by local academics.

Topics ranged from primary education to post secondary and teacher training. Environmental issues also formed part of the programme.

Ms Gatt noted the enthusiasm of the local teachers who attended the three-day conference. Indeed, many of those who applied to attend had to be turned down after all the places were taken, she said.