Pulse reacts with satisfaction to the announcement of the 2016 Budget this evening, which establishes a comprehensive set of measures aimed at empowering students across all social backgrounds and institutions.
It is indeed encouraging to note that the Government shall continue to increase the financial incentives for students, such as the substantial increase in the grant for Gozitan students, which coupled with yet another consecutive increase in stipends, bears witness to a sustained commitment towards encouraging students across all social strata to continue their pursuit of education.
such as the substantial increase in the grant for Gozitan students
Pulse also welcomes the long-awaited announcement that mature students will be finally getting a maintenance grant. This was a long-overdue measure which helps resolve an injustice with hundreds who willingly decided to forfeit their employment and choose to further their education. Indeed, while welcoming this measure, Pulse would like to see even more initiatives to encourage lifelong learning opportunities in the coming years.
Further new capital investment projects, such as the transfer of the ITS Campus to SmartCity, new investment at the University premises in Malta and Gozo, as well as the setting-up of the Education Malta PPP are also welcomed positively as indicators of a forward-looking vision for a modern education sector in Malta. Pulse indeed believes that education in Malta should not just be dealt with as a necessary service, but rather as an economic contributor in its own right.
Overall, the 2016 Budget presented today is one which builds on the current economic climate, from which every responsible and hard working citizen has the right to benefit. Pulse believes that the measures announced seek to distribute the national wealth in a manner which sustains the overall trend of economic growth, whilst maintaining a steady focus on the larger, macroeconomic picture.