Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/742473
5 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 26 OCTOBER 2016 News The Banking Arrangement is supported by the InnovFin SME Guarantee Facility, with the financial backing of the European Union under Horizon 2020 Financial Instruments and the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI) set up under the Investment Plan for Europe. The purpose of EFSI is to help support financing and implementing productive investments in the European Union and to ensure increased access to financing. Approved and issued by APS Bank Ltd, APS Centre, Tower Street, B'Kara BKR 4012. APS Bank Ltd is authorised by the Malta Financial Services Authority to act as a licensed Credit Institution under the Banking Act 1994. Terms and Conditions apply. The InnovFin SME Guarantee is a scheme run by the EIF, through which SMEs from eligible business sectors can benefit from lower cost finance, on the basis of a 50% loan guarantee. Facilties range between €25,000 and €2.4 million. The scheme is locally managed by APS Bank. INNOVATE NOW 2122 6644 apsbank.com.mt 1934 saw the introduction of the innovative 135 daylight-loading single- use cassette, forever changing the way photographers worked. 18468 APS INNOVFIN MASTER ARTWORK.indd 1 06/10/2016 4:32 PM Ten arrested in drug bust JEANELLE MIFSUD TEN people were arrested in a police drug raid be- tween Monday and yester- day, the police said, without mentioning the location of the raid. Three women and seven men, aged between 18 and 35 were held, with police confiscating 200 grammes of cannabis resin, 100g of cannabis, about 70 ecstasy pills, 30g of cocaine and €2,000 in cash, along with items connected with drug trafficking, such as an elec- tronic balance. The police added that a Pe- ruvian man holding a Span- ish passport, who is resident in Malta, would be ar- raigned in court on charges of trafficking cannabis and cannabis resin, and with ag- gravated possession of can- nabis, cannabis resin, co- caine and ecstasy. The police said it is con- tinuing with its investiga- tion into the other persons arrested in connection with the drug find. Students from independent schools fare worse in speaking Maltese JAMES DEBONO STUDENTS from church and state schools outperform stu- dents from independent schools in the oral component of the Maltese SEC exam but students from state schools are outper- formed by students from inde- pendent and church schools in the written component of the exam. This emerges from a report by the Matsec Support Unit based on results of exams in 2015. In the Oral component, candi- dates opting for Paper IIA (the more difficult choice, which gives students a chance for a higher grade) candidates com- ing from church schools out- perform state school candidates who in turn outperform inde- pendent school candidates. Among candidates sitting for Paper IIB (the easier option which at most guarantees a pass mark) the difference between church and state school students is not statistically significant. However, state school students still perform better than those from independent schools . But with regard to the writ- ten papers the differences be- tween church and independent school candidates are not statistically significant for both Paper IIA and Paper IIB candidates. However, students in the non-state sector outperform state school candidates with a difference that is statisti- cally significant. Female candidates out- performed male in nearly all components of the 2015 SEC Maltese examination. In the oral component, however, a difference be- tween males and females is only observed among Paper IIB candidates.