Education, Youth and Employment Minister Louis Galea, together with a few St Patrick’s school students yesterday paid a visit to the UNICEF ambassador, 10-year-old Nicky Francisco, on his family’s boat, the Walkirye, anchored in Ta’ Xbiex.

Nicky was born with a rare respiratory illness which constricts him to live in places very close to the sea. As Nicky’s mother explained to the minister, temperature, humidity, pollution and bacterial viruses all affected Nicky’s condition. Five years ago when the family were on holiday on an island close to Italy, they immediately witnessed an improvement in Nicky’s condition and the family has been living at sea ever since.

Due to the improved information and communications technology (ICT) system on the Walkirye, the students together with Nicky and Dr Galea could connect with St Patrick’s school and the students spoke briefly with their schoolmates and Dr Galea spoke with technological expert and teacher at the ICT centre, Emil Vassallo, who explained that the ICT system on Nicky’s boat enabled children who suffered from similar conditions to integrate with other children and continue their education.

With the help of Nicky’s parents, Dr Galea, Nicky and the Maltese children connected with Nicky’s teacher, Miss Donatella, in Rapace, Italy.

As the minister explained later to The Malta Independent, such a developed technological system helps evolve the intellectual development of children just as if they were in the classroom.

Thanks to this system, Nicky can liaise with his teacher and his schoolmates from 8.30am until 2pm every day and he can even play chess with them.

Nicky could even have his work corrected by his teacher there and then as all he needed to do was place his work on a board close to the screen. He could even jot down the teacher’s notes on the board just by looking at the screen. Dr Galea said that such a system was already being used in Malta to connect MCAST Malta with MCAST Gozo and the University of Malta with the University centre in Gozo.