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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 21 DECEMBER 2016 17 Events FIMBank clips on Maltese language destined for schools SCHOOLCHILDREN attending government, church and inde- pendent schools will soon have access to a series of video clips which trace the meaning of spe- cific words in Maltese, and which focus on the origin and meaning of Maltese proverbs. These educational clips, pro- duced by FIMBank plc as part of its Corporate Social Responsibil- ity programme, will be distribut- ed to all primary and secondary schools in Malta. This initiative was announced by FIMBank Group Chairman Dr John C. Grech, during a recent visit by the Minister for Education and Employment Evarist Bartolo at FIMBank's head office in St. Ju- lian's. In 2015, FIMBank plc had part- nered with Public Broadcasting Services Ltd (PBS) in an initia- tive which saw the broadcast of a series of 30-second video-spots, focusing on Malta's linguistic heritage. The series of 100 clips, entitled 'Kelma Kuljum' (or 'A Word Everyday'), includes both Maltese words used colloqui- ally, as well as others which are being utilised less frequently. Meanwhile, earlier this year, as a continuation of this project and as part of its CSR programme, FIMBank launched a new se- ries of video clips which focus on Maltese proverbs and their meanings, entitled 'X'jghid il- Malti?' ('Maltese sayings'). The new series has been featured ex- tensively on PBS and the Bank's social media channels. Commenting on this initiative, FIMBank Chairman Dr John C. Grech stated that "As a Malta- based institution we feel we owe it to the people of Malta to help raise awareness of our Islands' rich cultural heritage. This con- sideration has always been a mainstay of our Corporate Social Responsibility programme. The Maltese language is recognised as being an essential part of our DNA. Its uniqueness, derived from its eclectic mix of Semitic and Romance influences, is ap- preciated and endorsed by lin- guists worldwide. We are proud to be in a position to highlight its beauty and relevance." Evarist Bartolo stated that he is "grateful that FIMBank is invest- ing in the teaching of the Maltese language in our schools. Such support helps us to reach more kids in learning their language in an interesting way. We need more different programmes to reach more kids as am not satis- fied that nearly half of our fifth formers are not passing their SEC exam in Maltese. We need different programmes and dif- ferent methods of assessment in Maltese to reach more students." Jason Zammit, FIMBank's Head of Marketing and Administra- tion, said that the video spots had proven to be quite popular with Maltese viewers. He added that "very positive and encourag- ing feedback had been received after the spots from both cam- paigns were posted on Facebook and YouTube, where they were shared extensively by users. Get- ting people engaged and talk- ing about our linguistic wealth is precisely the main objective of our project. This helped us to better understand the poten- tial of this tool for the benefit of schoolchildren and their teach- ers." Medserv named as 2016 Malta Stock Exchange company of the year MEDSERV is pleased to have re- ceived the award for the Malta Stock Exchange Company of the Year for 2016. The award was announced during the annual Stock Exchange dinner held in late November, where Joseph Portelli, Chairman of the Malta Stock Exchange, presented the award to the Company's Chair- man, Anthony Diacono. The Company of the Year Award was presented to Med- serv plc in acknowledgment of its financial results as well as a positive corporate social respon- sibility and corporate govern- ance culture. In his speech, Joseph Portelli, Chairman of the Malta Stock Exchange said "The Malta Stock Exchange analysed the full year results of 23 companies listed on the MSE for the year 2015 and the first half of 2016. The Board selected for Company of the Year a company whose growth metric for 2015 was, to say the least, very impressive. Revenue growth of 35%, Earn- ings per share growth of 94%. Return on equity of 41% - and all of this in a challenging market environment. Medserv is also the only listed company to en- gage an outside research firm at a considerable expense to carry out independent analysis of its future prospects. This is some- thing all shareholders should ap- preciate and we would like to see more companies do". "At Medserv we have always advocated the importance of transparency and appreci- ate the value of providing our shareholders and the market in general with information and the visibility they require. The engagement of a reputed, inde- pendent analyst such as Edison is another step to reinforce our commitment to the market" said Anthony Diacono, Chairman at Medserv plc. "We couldn't be prouder that the Malta Stock Ex- change has bestowed this award on us, especially in such times where the environment in the oil and gas market is challenging. Our strategy to continue to rein- vest and diversif y even in chal- lenging circumstances has seen the company grow from strength to strength and this award sup- ports our philosophy" Bus service to operate at reduced frequency on Christmas schedule PUBLIC transport will be op- erating on a different schedule between Christmas and the first week of January, Malta Public Transport announced yesterday. Starting on Christmas day and lasting until 6 January, buses will operate on a Saturday-time schedule from Monday to Satur- day. The service on routes that nor- mally operate only during the weekdays, namely 49, 50 and 90, will still be provided during these two weeks, the company said. Malta Public Transport added that the bus service will operate at reduced hours on Christmas day and New Year's day. "Buses will stop operating at lunch time and the service will be suspended between noon and 3:00pm, with the last buses departing between 10:00 and 11:30, depending on the length of the trip. Services will resume normal operation between 15:00 and 16:00. Last evening services will terminate at 21:00," it said. Malta Public Transport also advised customers that its ticket booths will be closed on Christ- mas day and New Year's day.