Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1416377
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 OCTOBER 2021 6 CULTURE Free entrance to Heritage Malta sites and museums for University of Malta and Junior College students ALL University of Malta and Junior College students will be allowed free entrance to Her- itage Malta sites and museums with immediate effect, follow- ing the signing of a Memoran- dum of Understanding between the university and the national agency for cultural heritage. Students who wish to benefit from this opportunity simply need to present their eSIMS ac- count – on their mobile phone or in print – at the entrance of their chosen Heritage Malta site or museum. The only site excluded from this offer is the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum. The collaboration agree- ment between the two entities was signed at the end of Sep- tember last year and covers a three-year period. It marked the start of a long-standing collaboration between Herit- age Malta and the University of Malta, both of which vouched to further explore their areas of common interest while re- specting each party's academic and strategic objectives. Besides free entrance for students to historical sites and museums, the initiatives agreed upon include the shar- ing of resources such as librar- ies and equipment. This grants Heritage Malta employees, as well as University of Malta staff and students, access to a vast collection of knowledge. At a press conference an- nouncing the new incentive for university students, Mario Cutajar, Heritage Malta's Ex- ecutive Director, said that the opportunity being offered to university and Junior College students further strength- ens the agency's resolve to transform its museums from shrines of antiquity to centres of discussion and informa- tion, where visitors do not just browse around without gaining anything but leave brimming with new knowledge. These centres need to be related to contemporary times in order to remain relevant and truly accessible. Accessibility is not just ramps and stairways, but above all it is relevance to the present, Mr Cutajar said. Noel Zammit, Heritage Mal- ta's Chief Executive Officer, spoke of Heritage Malta's role to make our national cultural heritage accessible to all, and of the agency's initiatives towards a visitor-centred experience at sites and museums. One such initiative, with resounding suc- cess, was the introduction of the Heritage Malta passport for primary and secondary school students and for senior citizens. The next natural step was to facilitate accessibility for post-secondary and tertiary level students, thanks to the collaboration agreement with the University of Malta. Prof. Alfred J. Vella, Rec- tor at the University of Malta, welcomed this new initiative which will allow all UM and Junior College students to ap- preciate Malta's rich history and culture. He also comment- ed that this arrangement fur- ther consolidates the excellent relationship that exists be- tween the University of Mal- ta and the national agency for cultural heritage. Students who wish to benefit from this opportunity simply need to present their eSIMS account