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NO. 1750

 

 

€3m  in E.U. Educational Funds for 2008

 

 

“It is essential that people keep training and updating themselves throughout life and the EU is well aware of the need to continue to invest in its people and offer as many educational opportunities as possible to all.  The EU is committed to ‘Investing in Competitiveness for a Better Quality of Life’ which shows how the union is not only interested in being a competitive economy but that it wants this to be achieved whilst maintaining social cohesion,” said the Minister of Education, Youth and Employment, Dr. Louis Galea, during the official launching, by the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA), of the new generation of EU educational programmes known as Lifelong Learning Programme and the YOUTH in Action Programme. 

 

Minister Galea said that the EUPU, the predecessor of the EUPA, had from its inception created a positive atmosphere for all stakeholders to get involved in the EU educational programmes and even before Malta became a member of the EU we had a healthy participation in the main programmes. Louis Galea said that Malta’s participation continued to grow over the years with more funding being pumped into these programmes year after year.  Minister Galea took the opportunity to thank Mr Frans Borg, Permanent Secretary, and Mr Joseph Sammut who had started the EUPU and had managed it so well in its first few years.

 

The Conference is focusing on presenting the new guidelines for applicants and the closing dates for the submission of applications for the coming year. There were also presentations in the areas that are being considered for the coming year as National and European priorities. 

 

In all, Malta has qualified for € 3 million (Lm 1.29 m) worth of Educational Funds for the year 2008 for its various Programmes.  Since inception the Malta National Agency has been awarded €9 million (Lm 3.86 m) to more than 6,000 projects and beneficiaries.

 

A study regarding the former programmes running from 2000-2006 by Dr Suzanne Gatt shows that in all the programmes the number of participants increased steadily. The most popular countries for exchanges were the United Kingdom and Italy. While the Leonardo programme has helped introduce mobility of students in vocational education, Erasmus has become part of the University life and Comenius projects have served to give value to extra-curricular projects within primary and secondary schools. Training systems at tertiary and vocational level of education have incorporated mobility as an integral part within their training programmes, while teaching staff within University as well as within vocational institutions have taken up teaching exchange and experience within other European Institutions.

 

In fact collaboration within Universities has been extended to include joint degrees. On the other hand the Youth Programme had a very positive effect on participants and organisations. The programme was considered accessible for disadvantaged youths, as well as being user friendly and it triggered synergies between formal and non-formal education systems. The Youth Programme had a determining relevance to active citizenship, combating social exclusion and providing very good non-formal learning opportunities.

 

Over 250 delegates attended the conference hailing from public, private and non-governmental organisations. The launch was also addressed by the European Commission, which was represented by Mr Ruard Wallis de Vries, DG Education and Culture – Erasmus Unit as well as Mr. Giorgio Guazzugli Marini, DG Education and Culture – YOUTH IN ACTION unit.  The conference was chaired and addressed by Mr. Mauro Pace Parascandalo EUPA National Co-ordinator.   

 

During this half-day Conference, the EUPA also launched its new website, www.eupa.gov.mt, which should serve as an effective tool for the delivery of information on programmes, on line applications and partner searches.

 

 

DOI – 15.11.2007

 

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