A total of 450 Maltese students will be given the opportunity to study Italian at the Dante Alighieri University in Reggio Calabria over a period of three years thanks to an agreement signed by the Malta Government and the Reggio Calabria region.
The announcement was made during a press conference held at the Foreign Affairs Ministry yesterday, which was addressed by Minister Michael Frendo, Reggio mayor Giuseppe Scoppelliti and Italian ambassador Paolo Trabalza.
The initiative comes as part of a cultural cooperation agreement signed between Malta and Italy on 19 December 2007. Among other things, the agreement provides for cooperation between the two countries on matters of education so as to allow the people of both countries the opportunity to learn more about each other’s language, art, culture and heritage through the learning of languages.
This is the first step after the agreement was signed said Dr Frendo, a statement with which mayor Scoppelliti concurred. There are plans to broaden the scheme further in the future with other initiatives. The initiative will allow for cultural exchanges whereby 450 Maltese students can go to Reffio for a week or two weeks to strengthen their understanding and use of the Italian language.
Tuition fees will be paid by the Calabria region within the Dante Alighieri University which is located in Reggio. The region will also pay for local transport and museum entry fees. The scholarships will be administered by a specific section within the Foreign Ministry.
Malta and Reggio also underlined their commitment to collaborate in the organisation of the Biennial Mediterranean Arts and Architecture Festival which will kick off in 2009. It will be held in Reggio one out of two years and another Mediterranean country on the alternate year.
Ambassador Trabalzza expressed satisfaction at the first concrete step following the collaboration agreement signed last December. Mayor Scoppilleti also expressed satisfaction at the agreement.
TMID referred the mayor back to two years ago when an event was organised in Reggio to celebrate the arrival of Air Malta to the ‘toe’ of Italy. He said that Air Malta has given the people of Reggio opportunities they never had before.
“It has opened another avenue for travel, the people of Reggio can now use Malta as a travel hub, as well as for holiday and learning purposes,” he said. He said that over three years more than 5,000 children from Reggio came to Malta to learn English while many more came on holiday, even during the shoulder months.