Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/885114
maltatoday, TUESDAY, 10 OCTOBER 2017 Budget 2018 9 Education, health and workers' leave THE fees for SEC and MAT- SEC examinations will be cut by half in 2018, before being scrapped completely the fol- lowing year, the government announced yesterday. Finance Minister Edward Scicluna said in the 2018 budg- et speech that this measure would allow more students to pursue higher education, when they might have otherwise been impeded by their finan- cial situation. This was a further electoral promise the government would be fulfilling, the minister said. Scicluna said the government would be introducing a pilot project aimed at improving services offered to autistic stu- dents. "We will be ensuring that schools are up to par allowing autistic children to feel com- fortable in the environment provided and we will also be installing multi-sensory rooms in more state colleges," he said. "At the same time, learning support assistants, teachers and staff will be trained in psycho-social ser- vices to be better prepared for any eventuality." Scicluna said that a new primary school in Marsas- cala would be completed next year. Work on three other new schools – in Qawra, Msida and Victoria – will proceed on schedule. All the new schools will in- clude multi-sensory halls, childcare centres and aircondi- tioning systems. First country to use blockchain in education Malta will be the first coun- try to make use of blockchain technology in the education sector as it incorporates the new technology to ensure greater security and acces- sibility to certificates grant- ed by the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), the National Coun- cil for Further and Higher Edu- cation (NCFHE) and the Insti- tute for Tourism Studies (ITS). Incentives for post-graduate studies As promised in the electoral manifesto, full-time students following post-graduate stud- ies will be exempt from tax. Students following a Masters degree will be exempt for one year, while students following a Ph.D. will be exempt from pay- ing tax for two years. To benefit, students must have started their courses this year or are yet to start, must be younger than 40 years when they start the post-graduate courses and must not earn more than €60,000 annually. Part-time students will enjoy the same exemption on a pro- rata basis. SEC and MATSEC exam fees to be halved Malta will be the first country to use blockchain technology in its education sector as it introduces the technology to increase security and accessibility of certificates issued by national institutions WORKERS will get an extra day of leave as from next year, the first measure to be introduced by the government in its pledge to give workers back the public holidays that fall on a weekend. Finance Minister Edward Scicluna told parliament that discussions are underway with the social partners to see how the Labour Party's pledge can be implemented during this legislature. The minister also announced that the cost of living adjust- ment will be at €1.75 a week. On their part, students will receive their stipends' increase pro-rata. Workers who already spent a year on minimum wage will see their earnings increase by €3 a week. On the third year, they will receive an additional €3 increase per week. Workers who earn more than the minimum wage will also be entitled to part of the increase in their second and third year of employment. Workers to get extra day of leave • COLA at €1.75 TWO new health centres, in Kirkop and Paola, are planned for 2018 under a government plan to strengthen and broaden access to local health services. Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, in his budget speech for 2018, said yesterday that work on the Kirkop centre is set to start in November, while the work on the new centre in Paola – which will function as a regional centre – is already at an advanced stage. A National Cancer Research Foundation is to be set up in 2018 to help incentivise further research into breast cancer. At the same time, as per the National Cancer Plan, innova- tive media campaigns will be launched to highlight lifestyle choices that could lead to a de- crease in the number of cases of specific cancer types. Scicluna said the government would be investing more in the fight against diabetes, expand- ing the glucose monitoring sticks scheme and access to analogue insulin. "We will be updating HIV treatment practices and we will also launch a treatment pro- gramme for Hepatitis C which should lead to a considerable decrease and control of this de- cease locally over the next five years," he said. He said the government would also be making available injec- tions for pneumococcus in its National Injection Programme to reduce the incidence of in- fection – including meningitis and blood infections – in chil- dren under five years old. Scicluna reiterated the gov- ernment's plans to expand IVF treatment services as legisla- tion is to be updated to reflect current technological advances so that more couples will be able to benefit from the treat- ments. The government is to prepare plans for a new underground parking facility at Mater Dei, while work is also to continue on a new out-patients block. Two new health centres to be built in Paola and Kirkop