The number of students who will be receiving maintenance grants during the next academic year is expected to increase by about 900, bringing the government’s total investment in social benefits to students to just over Lm9 million (EUR20.9 million), said Education, Youth and Employment Minister Louis Galea yesterday.

Speaking at a media conference regarding the students’ maintenance grants scheme and most recent developments related to it, Dr Galea said the number of students who received grants during the past scholastic year amounted to 14,600 and this number was expected to increase to about 15,500.

In a bid to further increase the number of students following science-oriented undergraduate courses, the government would again be offering special grants to students interested in following courses in science, engineering and information technology, as well as nursing.

Dr Galea explained that the government was committed to continue providing free tuition, while at the same time providing assistance to students to further their studies.

Following the 2005 reform to the maintenance grants scheme, the minister said the government wanted to encourage more students to follow science-oriented courses, so an incentive by way of a special grant was created.

As a result, the number of students following such courses had increased by an average of about 25 per cent since the introduction of special grants.

Dr Galea also expressed satisfaction that the number of students from southern harbour areas who were choosing to further their studies had increased markedly over the past few years.

As for special maintenance grants to Gozitan students, the minister said that while the

government had invested about Lm90,000 (EUR209,643) in maintenance grants to Gozitans, this assistance has now increased by more than half, to Lm230,000 (EUR535,755).

Dr Galea also announced that as from October this year, BSc (Nursing) students would also be given special grants, since the demand for nurses was expected to increase further in the coming years. This measure would cost the government about Lm262,600 (EUR611,693) over the next six years.

Moreover, the government would also be providing maintenance grants to students attending the private sixth form at St Martin’s College in Swatar, to put them on a par with students attending St Aloysius College and De La Salle.

By the end of this year, St Martin’s students alone would receive the lump sum of Lm20,000 (EUR48,450) between them.

Asked by The Malta Independent whether this measure was intended to lessen the burden on the Junior College sixth form, with its ever-growing student population and limited space, Dr Galea said the government wanted to give equal treatment to the parents of students interested in furthering their studies.

Commenting on the Junior College, the minister said the sixth form’s administration would be entering into discussions with university representatives to find ways of tackling the space problem in the years to come.

In total, the number of students at present entitled to maintenance grants is 14,534, although the 255 students following apprenticeship schemes at the Employment and Training Centre (ETC) were now included.

Of these, about 600 students – 250 university students and 350 post-secondary students – received a supplementary grant due to their families’ financial circumstances.

As for the Smart Card system that formed part of the students’ maintenance grants scheme, Dr Galea said that about 50 additional shops would start accepting the card as from October, bringing the total number of shops that accepted the card to 400.

During the last academic year, the government credited student Smart Cards with Lm2.3 million (EUR5.35 million).

Dr Galea said that 34 per cent of this amount was spent on books, 29 per cent on computers and related equipment, 13 per cent on photocopies and 11 per cent on stationery.

The rest was spent on internet bills, sports clothes, the binding of theses and other items related to specific courses. Only 2.2 per cent of the total amount was used on unrelated purchases.

Dr Galea said that four shops that had been found to be abusing the system were not allowed to continue participating in the scheme, while an additional 22 shops were given a warning.