Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/870005
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2017 7 DIGITAL literacy is increas- ingly becoming a key compe- tency across the educational system as well as presenting itself as a life-long learning skill in its own right. In the light of this reality the Malta Communication Au- thority (MCA) is collaborat- ing with the Foundation for Educational Services of the Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE) to hold non-formal educational ses- sions on two distinct yet nec- essary competencies in their own right. Together with the Direc- torate for Digital literacy in the MEDE, the MCA offered coding sessions for children attending Skolasajf 2017 in five centres, namely Fgura, Siggiewi, Hamrun, St. Paul's Bay and Sliema. These fit with MCA's strategy to address the digital divide amongst chil- dren. During a visit at one of the coding sessions being of- fered at St Paul's Bay Primary School, Parlamentary Secre- tary Silvio Schembri, respon- sible for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innova- tion, explained that such an initiative complements the vision and the government's commitment to increase awareness on these subjects whilst strengthening digital skills. This is of utmost impor- tance in order to complement our country's competitiveness in view of the ever increasing number of industries which depend on employees with advanced ICT skills. Minister for Education and Empoyment Evarist Bartolo stated that although digital literacy is important at every age, especially for primary school children, it is also very important to find a balance between the digital world and reality itself. The minister was impressed by how happy and engaged the students were, and stressed that schools are not meant to be 'learning factories', but en- gaging and enjoyable, in order to help realise the potential of every learner to the fullest ex- tent possible. The scope of these hands-on sessions was mainly two-fold: empowering children to mas- ter the basic principles of cod- ing, and to help them develop logical thinking skills. It is acknowledged that the latter benefits the general thinking skills and not merely those directly related to cod- ing. Among the learning out- comes of the programme of activities, children were able to predict and explain the out- comes of a series of sequential instructions, the breaking down of complex tasks into smaller and manageable tasks, and identifying errors in a se- quence of instructions. In an effort to increase the children's participation in the activities, the programme was supported by the use of tablets and robotic kits. The BeSmartOnline! ses- sions were implemented in 12 Skolasajf centres, two of them in Gozo. These focused on a wide range of soft, life-centric skills, necessary to ensure that children have a positive online experience. Such is the preva- lence of the Internet that it has become the source of our entertainment, education and learning, news and socialis- ing amongst others. Needless to say, however, that the more children use the Internet, the more likely it is that they will stumble across risks. Children often lack the life skills and experience to rec- ognise these risks in order to avoid falling victims to them. The BeSmartOnline! Project was coordinated by the MCA, and implemented through a consortium which includes the Foundation for Social Welfare Services, the Of- fice of the Commissioner for Children and the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education. News Operational Programme I – European Structural and Investment Funds 2014-2020 "Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges" Advert part-financed by the European Regional and Development Fund Co-financing rate: Public Eligible (80% European Union; 20% National Funds) ANNOUNCEMENT – 6 th September 2017 Business Enhance ERDF Grant Schemes Operational Programme I – Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 Fostering a competitive and sustainable economy to meet our challenges The Measures and Support Division within the Ministry for European Affairs and Equality (MEAE), designated by the Managing Authority as the Intermediate Body responsible for administering aid schemes for enterprises under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the 2014 – 2020 programming period, would like to announce the following calls: • Call 2 – SME Growth Grant Scheme Priority Axis 3 – 'Enhancing Malta's competitiveness through investment in SMEs' • Call 2 – Start-up Investment Grant Scheme Priority Axis 3 – 'Enhancing Malta's competitiveness through investment in SMEs' These calls will close on Friday, 20 th October 2017 at noon. Further information on these calls including the respective Guidance Notes and the Guidelines for Implementation may be obtained from https://businessenhance.gov.mt. Skolasajf children benefit from Coding and BeSmartOnline! sessions Silvio Schembri (centre) and Evarist Bartolo visit with children attending Skolasajf Tip-off leads to police discovery of garage drug stash, man charged A man has been charged with aggravated possession of cocaine and other drug-related charges after police raided his garage yesterday MATTHEW AGIUS A man has been charged with aggravated possession of co- caine and other drug-related charges after police officers, acting on confidential infor- mation about drug-related ac- tivity, raided his garage yester- day. Self-employed car dealer Melvin Debono, 26 from Paola, was also charged with being in possession of cannabis and breaching a number of condi- tional discharges. The court was told that inside his ga- rage, the police discovered 73 packets of what they believed to be cocaine hidden in a tin container and a Nutella jar, together with another 225g of cocaine in various sachets, as well as a small amount of mari- juana. Debono pleaded not guilty to aggravated possession of cocaine, simple possession of cannabis resin and grass, breaching the conditions of a suspended sentence he re- ceived last November and with breaching no fewer than four conditional discharges from various courts. Inspector Justine Grech, who is leading the prosecution, objected to Debono's bail re- quest. However, defence law- yer Franco Debono argued that there was no possibility of him tampering with evidence or approaching civilian witness- es, and therefore no obstacle to his release from arrest. Magistrate Grazio Mercieca granted the man bail against a €2,000 deposit and a €10,000 personal guarantee.