Students facing socio-economical problems such as being at risk of poverty or social exclusion are provided a scheme to improve their education and quality of life, Minister of Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo said.

Replying to a Parliamentary question asked by MP Ivan Bartolo, the Minister highlighted that since the scholastic year of 2016/2017, the ministry has worked towards the development of a fund to improve the quality of life for those students who are at risk of poverty.

He explained that the fund does not just help those students materially (providing stationary and uniforms) but also gives students the opportunity to engage in sport and cultural activities. The beneficiary of such a fund are primary and secondary state school students, ages ranging from as young as three till 16 years old. He comments that such an initiative which has been continued for the past three years has improved the schooling experience for a diverse number of students who face a situation socio-economic difficulty.

He explained that students within this scheme benefit from a number of initiatives. Students benefiting from this scheme are provided a free lunch daily, receive a grant to buy their stationary and uniforms and make photocopies for free. Educational activities organised by schools and any activity organised by Foundation for Educational Services or Sport Malta are also paid for. Students were also provided books to promote the importance of literature and reading, and from the beginning of the scholastic year 2016/17 till present day 1,200 books have been given to over 580 children.