Students over 16 who continue their studies will be eligible for free internet for a year.

This was announced as part of Malta’s 2021 Budget, to encourage 16-year-olds to pursue further studies beyond obligatory education, which ends with secondary school.

According to Eurostat, the island has one of the EU’s highest rates of early school leavers. Nearly one in six students leave school before the legal age of 16.

And while school leavers have decreased from a decade prior, in which one in three quit school, we still have the second-highest rate in Europe – far from the 10% target meant to be achieved by 2020.

There are plenty of initiatives to support students pursuing further studies, such as the maintenance grants and stipends for students in higher education. Those in general and diploma courses are also entitled to receive €88.44 every four weeks while students in prescribed courses like the arts receive €154.77 every four weeks.

What do you think of this new initiative?