Malta is one of the very few countries worldwide where over 85% of the whole student population is going to benefit from the Microsoft Student Advantage Scheme. This scheme offers the latest version of the Microsoft Office Productivity Suite for free to 40,000 local students, where the retail value is usually approximately €99 per student per year. This equates to around €4 million being invested in this initiative thanks to an agreement between Microsoft Malta and the Malta Information Technology Agency (MITA), on behalf of the Government of Malta.

The Microsoft Student Advantage Scheme was announced a few days ago in the presence of the Prime Minister and I encourage all eligible students who have not yet applied to do so in order to take advantage of the latest version of the Microsoft Office Productivity Suite at no additional licensing cost. We have already received a substantial number of applications from students who have submitted their names, but we would like all entitled students to apply. To ensure that this message is delivered to every student in every possible way, MITA and Microsoft Malta announced that the Student Advantage Scheme has been extended till Monday, 17th February.

There are so many advantages to this scheme, it does not only come free but students will be able to make use and benefit from various ‘Office 365 Education’ cloud based productivity tools that will help them communicate in a more resourceful manner. They will also be able to use this software on five different devices, including mobile Smartphone; in previous offers students were only allowed to use it on one device. Students will be able to access coursework easily with the use of familiar applications such as Word, PowerPoint and Excel anywhere, anytime and across virtually any device such as PC, Windows, Mac, Android or iOS. The package also includes the cloud based application known as SkyDrive with 25GB online storage.

All state schools, both primary and secondary, and MCAST students will benefit directly through this scheme. Students of Church schools and independent schools need to confirm with their school representatives whether their school is participating in this offer. However, in the meantime, the government is in the process of negotiations in order to extend this scheme to include students attending private and Church schools as well. On the other hand, the University of Malta and Junior College students are not eligible for this scheme as they have other arrangements in place with different stakeholders.

We are very privileged that Malta has been chosen to receive such a huge investment from this renowned, world class and leader organisation. This scheme’s target is to get the most out of youths’ education while acquiring valuable skills that will help them enter the future workforce and advance in their respective careers. Microsoft is committed to the success of each educator and student and, at the same time, making it easy for every student to utilise and exploit the latest and best version of Office, which will enable the next generation of technology and business leaders to reach their full potential through the world’s leading productivity tools. In this respect, the government along with other entities are committed to support youths together with their parents and teachers to make the most of the Microsoft Student Advantage Scheme. This is a bonus initiative for our students and at the same time it eases the financial burden on Maltese families.

The registration for this scheme is simple and an innovative feature is that there is no need for queuing to benefit from the Student Advantage, something that was required before for similar schemes. Students attending State schools or MCAST have received an email on their academic mailbox stating relevant data together with a distinctive verification code. Students need only visit www.mita.gov.mt/studentadvantage and enter their unique verification code. Then by February 2014, Microsoft Malta shall e-mail students with further information on how to start using the Student Advantage software.

We look forward to strengthening our relationship with such sectoral leaders for the benefit of our country and its future prosperity. This is part of the government’s commitment to the educational system to prepare students from an early stage to drive and direct them to a digital economy, an industry which continues to grow in importance. This will help in reducing skills mismatch in the ICT workforce and focus on having further qualified students and trained in the mastering of ICT technologies. The government is set to enhance access to technology and to ensure that all our citizens have the necessary skills to be able to fully benefit from a digital lifestyle. It is the Government’s intention to increase opportunities for growth and better quality jobs for our youths.

Dr Zammit Lewis is the Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth