There is a collective commitment in the education sector for the development of entrepreneurship in Malta, said the Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business and the Self-Employed, Edwin Vassallo.

Delivering a speech at the national conference on entrepreneurship education, Mr Vassallo said his secretariat had been appointed as the entity responsible for the National Entrepreneurship Programme by the European Commission’s directorate general for enterprise.

“The responsibility given to us has allowed us to create the best possible synergy with the Education, Youth and Employment Ministry, with student associations and organisations such as Scoops and Young Enterprise. This scholastic year we introduced entrepreneurship education at primary, secondary, post-secondary and tertiary levels.

“This initiative is still in its early stages, but for it to succeed we need synergy and coordination. It is for this reason that we organised the first national conference that brought together all the interested parties.

“During this consultation process we discussed the work carried out so far, and thanks to a number of workshops held during the conference, we are preparing a strategy for the next scholastic year.”

Mr Vassallo went on to explain that the government had committed itself to ensure that entrepreneurship education was introduced in the educational sector.

“We need to bring about a change in mentality and instil a more entrepreneurial mindset. We need to see that our students, from the primary to the tertiary level, have the best education for a personal development that goes beyond all that is academic,” he said.

Entrepreneurship education should be offered to all students, and should help students develop their communication skills, their sense of responsibility and the appreciation of the common good, said Mr Vassallo, adding that above all, entrepreneurship education was based on the recognition and appreciation of values and ethics that helped each individual make the most of his or her own potential

During the conference, Malta Enterprise distributed cheques to a number of schools that have participated in the Discover Enterprise Programme. Thanks to the money, the schools will be financing entrepreneurship projects.