Masters and PHD Scholarship Scheme launched
The fourth call for the Endeavour Scholarship scheme was launched with an investment of €1.5m cofinanced by EU Funds. Parliamentary Secretary for EU Funds and Social Dialogue Aaron Farrugia stated that postgraduate education forms an increasingly important part of Malta’s economic and social agenda while further strengthening continuous professional development.
Dr Farrugia noted that under the 2014-2020 EU ESF Funding Programme, a total of €8m were secured for this scheme. Until now, 650 students have benefitted from such scholarships at Masters and PHD Levels, transforming their dreams into real career prospects. The parliamentary secretary stressed that government is committed to provide the financial opportunities required to enable social mobility in a fast growing economy focused on the creation of careers.
Dr Farrugia remarked that the aim of the scheme is to support good quality tertiary education to ensure that the Maltese labour market is supplied with the right individuals and to guarantee that it is in a better position to compete at an international level. He added that the scheme is aimed to support those pursuing this path to succeed both at the level of education attainment as well as contributing effectively towards the economy.
Permanent secretary Dr Franics Fabri stated that government has been investing in its education system with an increase in government spending on education year-on-year. When it comes to scholarships, government is every year allocating more funds. The Ministry for Education is also leveraging successfully the use of EU funds to complement the budget available in order to meet its targets on tertiary education.
Dr Fabri also stated that this year the budget for the nationally funded scheme will also increase from €900,000 to €950,000. This scheme, which used to be called Endeavour B, is now being renamed as Tertiary Education Scholarships scheme. Government is also committed to widening this scheme to other MQF levels in the coming years. In the meantime, other incentives, such as the Get Qualified, are also available, noted Dr Fabri.
Moreover, a more user-friendly platform for application and management of the back-end selection process was also launched. This will make things easier, both for the applicant and for the process to proceed more smoothly from the administrative aspect.
The Endeavour Scholarship Scheme fourth call closes on 6 June at 12noon. Eligible priority areas of study include creative industries, education, environmental studies, finance, health, humanities and arts, information and communication technology, international affairs, maritime, science, engineering and mathematics, tourism and hospitality, transport and logistics, service and retail and veterinary-related studies. Information and assistance on this scholarship scheme may be provided from the Ministry for Education and Employment Scholarship Unit on 2598 2815 or from the Meusac Agency on 2200 3300.