Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1421642
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 OCTOBER 2021 16 COMMERCIAL Nine out of ten youths think Malta's environment is getting worse NINE out of every ten youths in Malta believe that Malta's envi- ronment is getting worse, with the number increasing by 5% in a single year. Published in the EY Generate Youth Survey 2021, the report indicates a certain sentiment among Malta's younger gener- ations, comprising Gen-Z and Millenials. On average, 68% of youths believe that overde- velopment is Malta's biggest challenge, with environment ranked at the second biggest concern. In the previous year, COVID-19 placed third in the list of Malta's biggest chal- lenges. This time around, it decreased substantially to 6th place, with only 20% of youths believing that it is Malta's big- gest challenge. Given high en- vironmental concern, Malta's youth feel that government should prioritise investing in pollution reduction and waste management. Governance and public education follow behind. Roughly 30% of youths feel that they will not be living better in five years' time, marking an 8-10% increase in a single year. Almost 40% stated that they do not know where they will be five years from now. Given the option, 60% of youths said they would rather live in another European coun- try outside Malta, and only 27% said they would remain on the islands. When asked about their financial situation, many said that it is looking more pos- itive compared to a year ago. Despite this, 23% of Gen-Z said that the economy is in poor state, marking a 7% increase from last year. Millenials are also increasingly rating Malta's economy as fair or poor. On- ly 1-2% of respondents across both generations said that the economy is excellent. Both generations share an entrepreneurial spirit. In both groups, the absolute majority said they feel more inclined to be entrepreneurs than employ- ees. A slightly higher percent- age of Gen-Z respondents be- lieve their generation is more entrepreneurial than previous ones. MINISTER for Education, Justyne Caruana, announced another monetary incentive tar- getting those Gozitan educators and students who, on a daily ba- sis, have to communte back and forth between Gozo and Malta. The maximum yearly monetray incentive for this scheme tallies to €250. This Budget measure, and considering the various mone- tary incentives introduced dur- ing the last few years, will con- tinue to reduce the financial burden incureed by Gozitans who live in Gozo and have to commute to Malta for work or to get their education. This EDU Fast Ferry incen- tive will be reimbursed, while the eligible applicants will con- tinue to benefit from all the other incentives for which they are entitled to as Gozitans. Through this scheme, Gov- ernment in encouraging educa- tors and students to make use of the mode of cleaner trans- port, while reducing substan- tially the travel time. Students who are studying at the Junior College; the Univer- sity of Malta and MCAST, and all educators residing in Gozo who carry out his/her teaching profession in Malta, are eligible to benefit from this scheme. The reimbursement, cover- ing a substantial part of the fare, will be paid every three months, in arrears, and is paid independent on the fast ferry service operator. Those eligible individuals who would like to benefit from this scheme, should apply on- line by filling the application form, which form is uploaded on the Ministry for Education website. The closing date to apply is Wednesday 3 Novem- ber 2021. The holders of the EDU Fast Ferry Card, do not need to present proof of purchase for them to get the reimburse- ment, since the verification is going to be done electronically through the information tech- nology both fast ferry opera- tors have in place. Only those trips carried out during scholastic days are valid for reimbursement. When announcing the EDU Fast Ferry Scheme, Minister Justyne Caruana mentioned that "This year's Budget, con- tinues to build on incentives introduced in previous budg- ets, all aimed at investing in our students and educators. And this is being done because our younger generation is the future of this country, while the educator is the catalyst and collaborator to this generation for them to become a responsi- ble citizen. It is for this reason, that in this Budget, this Gov- ernment is investing eight hun- dred million euros in the edu- cation sector. This is how this Government is adopting the appropriate strategies to make "Malta li rridu għal-Uliedna". EDU Fast Ferry Scheme