40,000 students to benefit from free Microsoft Office

40,000 students will benefit from free Microsoft Office 360, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat announced this morning.

Through a €4m investment, Microsoft will give free access to the popular software to all local students in government schools. The Prime Minister said the government intended to enlarge the scheme to cover students attending private and church schools in the near future.

Students would be informed of a simple procedure to download and install the Microsoft Office 360 on their computers at home. They can also install the software on a total of five PCs.

“This scheme is a bonus for our students while it will also relieve their families of a financial burden of around €100 per year,” Joseph Muscat said.

He also described the scheme as a long-term solution that will increase local technical competence in the sector.

Adriana Zammit, Country Manager of Microsoft Malta, said that this ‘Student Advantage Scheme’ will make Malta as one of the very few countries worldwide where over 85% of the whole student population will be entitled to this free software usage.

“This is a clear statement of Microsoft’s commitment to support youths. Through Microsoft Office 365, students will not only get the required tools needed to assist them in their studies but they will also be able to use the tools which they will eventually need to use in their future employment,” Zammit said.

She underlined how this scheme will support a smoother transition from education to employment.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo and Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness Edward Zammit Lewis accompanied the Prime Minister.