Bureaucratic mishap informs students they won’t be paid stipend

A ministerial circular informing students studying O-levels at the Higher Secondary and MCAST colleges they will not be receiving a stipend, has been retracted.

The education minister said that a bureaucratic mishap saw the circular being issued on Tuesday afternoon without political approval, and was retracted as soon as this was brought to the knowledge of the minister's secretariat.

"The ministry never authorised, or asked for the reduction or removal of any form of stipend, whether at Higher Secondary or at any other post-secondary and tertiary educational institution. The ministry is now investigating the circumstances that led to the issuance of this circular."

Students reported receiving a circular via email at 11:30am that they would not be paid a stipend or receive a smart card if they were pursuing O-levels while studying at the Higher Secondary and MCAST colleges.

The students had actually applied for the stipend, which is paid to Sixth Form students in both public and private schools as well as the University of Malta.

Labour is committed to retain university stipends in full, after it had halved them back in 1997 as part of a budgetary measure. The action had prompted protests by students.