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Minister George Pullicino and Mr.Julian Jaeger CEO of Malta International Airport plc visited San Andrea School, Imselliet, last Wednesday 9th December. This visit follows a first visit conducted by the minister himself and the Prime Minister in connection with the school’s development of science as an applied subject particularly in the areas of renewable energies, energy conservation and waste management.
The school, a non-profit making institution seeking the holistic development of its children within a catholic environment has traditionally sought to be the forerunner in the development of the adults of tomorrow by seeking to expose its students to the realistic demands that they will be facing in their near future. While being the first school in Malta to de designed, developed and managed to seek the specific academic, pastoral and psychological needs of the children between the ages of 2 to 16, was the first to develop the concept of school colleges, the first to introduce the computer in the classroom and the first to invest in state-of-the-art sports facilities. We are proud to say that Government’s vision for tomorrow’s schools is based on the very good case-study experience developed by San Andrea School.
In this respect and in the specific area of science, San Andrea School has also sought to develop an educational programme that goes beyond the preparation of children for their SEC exams. It has identified the challenging demands of our country and is seeking to develop young men and women who are able to apply the academic information into tangible solutions, technology and research. San Andrea school through its various programmes including the Stephen Hawking Project and the Science Soiree activities managed to develop a spirit of motivation in the areas of research and applicability of science into practice through mini-research projects by means of a demanding hands-on educational approach.
Throughout the years, the school, apart from its statutory laboratories, has also developed other ways of researching science. Children, even in their young age, are asked to view and discuss other people’s work and developments. Through the Stephen Hawking Project and Science Soiree activities, the school has invested in an Energy Terrace wherein all students are given the opportunity to explore ways and means on how to improve our world through various scientific means – physical, chemical and biological.
Its work found itself in the centre of the Malta Pavilion within the Malta Trade Fair in 2008, wherein San Andrea students showed visitors how to build an effective home-made solar water heater with a very low budget. Various leaders in the field of alternative energy, waste management and energy conservation visited the school to understand the serious development in this area. Last August, San Andrea School was proud to host the president and ceo of a leading trans-Atlantic research and commercial enterprise in the area of renewable technologies. During this visit, Students were asked for their findings and relevance of their research to the Malta scenario.
Malta International Airport plc has given a considerable value to the efforts made by San Andrea School in this particular area of renewable energies. It seeks to support such serious activities and wishes to share findings and knowledge with its own staff. This is the reason why MIA are adding to their financial investment in this area of research conducted by this age group in our society. Such social responsibility in our society is highly commendable.
During last Wednesday’s visit to school, Minister Pullicino congratulated the efforts put in by San Andrea teaching staff and management to develop such a serious interest in the applied sciences. He focussed on the opportunities of green jobs in Malta and made some suggestions on how San Andrea furthers its development in this direction. Mr.Jaeger expressed his satisfaction in noting that Malta International Airport’s support to motivate such initiatives has led to such high standards of education and the promotion of alternative energy sciences in the education field. He concluded by expressing satisfaction in that Malta International Airport plc has partnered with San Andrea School considered an institution of educational excellence.
Communications Department
14th December 2009
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