I refer to the article Stipend system among the most generous in the EU – Louis Galea (TMID 3 May).

Unfortunately Minister Louis Galea was misquoted as saying that “spending on education – taking both public and private schools into account – generally lags behind that of the country’s European counterparts”.

What was in fact stated by Minister Galea was: “There is general agreement that education is a main contributor to economic prosperity.

“The government is working hard on this challenge and has put education as a top priority. In fact the government’s spending in education in Malta compares well with European Union levels. The paradox is that when we take higher education (post-secondary, MCAST and University) we find that the institutions do not have the right balance between the finances provided by the government and the increasing number of students that they accept.

“This means that we do not fare well in comparison with EU countries. On the other hand, the financial aid to students is the most generous in Europe. In our country, when we add public and private spending, including what is spent by individuals, we are not investing as much as our neighbours when you consider our growing numbers.”

Claude Sciberras Communications Coordinator

Education, Youth and Employment Ministry