Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday presented 51 students with scholarship grants that will allow them to further their studies at Masters and Doctorate level in fields deemed to be necessary for Malta's development.
In all, the students received Lm200,000 (€465,874) through the government scholarship scheme following a selection process by a board which evaluated 139 applications.
Before presenting the grants to the students during a ceremony at the Auberge de Castille in Valletta, Dr Gonzi said that this was the second consecutive year that such scholarships were granted. Last year, 35 students benefited from the scheme.
This showed the government's growing commitment to education, a commitment that would hopefully grow further next year, he said.
Dr Gonzi stressed the importance of education as one of Malta's major resources and on building a knowledge-based society.
"This scheme forms part of a portfolio of measures which addresses our wider vision for the long-term socio-economic development of Malta. My government has, over the past few years, insisted on the intrinsic link between our economic, environmental and educational development necessary to improve the socio-economic well-being of our people," he said.
Having a strong economy, he said, was important but it was not enough. The country needs educated people to serve as the pillars of that economy.
Dr Gonzi said that Government's declared vision - of Malta as a regional centre of excellence in hospitality, health care, maritime, business, financial and educational services - meant that Malta would require intensive structural reforms, one of which was the need for more people with higher levels of education and training to sustain a knowledge-driven economy.
He explained that the scholarship scheme had two main objectives. First, it supported a number of students in key areas of socio-economic importance to further their studies at Masters or Doctorate level. Secondly, the scheme had the social purpose of creating a spirit of competitiveness and a strong ambition to come up with innovative, exciting research initiatives in the student community, as well as to give signals to students on those areas where major opportunities currently exist.
Dr Gonzi added that the government had invested in education at all levels and had plans to invest further. This year government launched another scholarship scheme for undergraduates which aims to provide scholarships for 150 students.
Education Minister Louis Galea described this scholarship scheme as the most important grants offered by the country. He added that, through such scholarships, the government aimed to support and incentivise students to pursue their studies in the interest of the country.
Dr Galea added that, after the scholarship awardees finished their studied, there was a challenge to be faced.
"The challenge is that the population, led by its government, is to create an environment to ensure that these students come back to Malta and work for the benefit of the country," he said.
Speaking to the students he said: "We have full faith in your potential, and are entrusting you with much more than just the responsibility of completing your studies successfully. We are entrusting you with the task of creating new opportunities for yourselves and many others as a result of your work. We are entrusting you with the challenge of finding new answers to issues that as yet have none. We are supporting you in your quest to discover solutions that can better the quality of our lives, from the alleviation of suffering, enrichment of culture to the competitiveness of our nation," he said.
Thirty-five of the 51 students (25 men and 26 women) will be pursuing their Masters and 16 will undertake Doctorate-level research in various fields including anthropology, molecular genetics, various fields of psychology and medicine, music, literature, information technology, forensic science, cultural heritage, education, marketing, law, engineering, film directing and aero space vehicle design.
Those awarded scholarships to pursue their Masters were Urieth Aquilina, Deborah Attard, Daniela Attard, Daphne Attard, Melvin Attard, George Azzopardi, Albert Paul Borg, Jean-Pierre Brincat, Caroline Brincat, Michelle Cachia Castelletti, Stefania Cappello, Tatiane Cassar, Alan Cassar, Matthew Castillo, Christian Colombo, Rebecca Cremona, Nadia De Marco, Rueben Debono, Josephine Deguara, John Ellul Sullivan, Julian Evans, Monique Falzon, Kristian Farrugia, Charlene Farrugia, Anthony Ghirlando, Michelle Grima, Gisele Grima, Graziella Mercieca, Karl Micallef, Trudy Pisani, Gregory Sammut, Marcelle Zahra, Robert Zammit, Malcolm Zammit and Aaron Zammit Apap.
Marie Avellino, Joseph Borg, Sandra Borg, Joanne Camilleri, Karen Camilleri, Marlene Cauchi, Yanika Debattista, Joshua Ellul, Gianluca Farrugia, Kevin Joseph Farrugia, Louise Ghirlando, Louisa Grech, Albert Anthony Grech, Andrew Mallia, Suzanne-Marie Psaila and Steven Vella will be reading for doctorates.
Source: Claudia Calleja for The Sunday Times of Malta, Sun Sep 16 2007