Students Maintenance Grants (Amendment) Regulations, 2012

L.N. 347 of 2012

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Students Maintenance Grants (Amendment) Regulations, 2012

IN exercise of the powers conferred by articles 40 and 126(3) of

the Education Act, the Minister of Education and Employment, with

concurrence of the Minister of Finance, the Economy and Investment,

has made the following regulations:-

The title of these regulations is the Students Maintenance

Grants (Amendment) Regulations, 2012, and these regulations shall

be read and construed as one with the Students Maintenance Grants

Regulations, hereinafter referred to as "the principal regulations".

Sub-regulation (1) of regulation 4 of the principal

regulations shall be amended as follows

(a) paragraph (iv) thereof shall be deleted and

paragraph (v) thereof shall be renumbered as paragraph (iv)

thereof; and

(b) the proviso thereto shall be substituted by the

following new proviso

"Provided that students who enter into post-

secondary or vocational education as mature students will

only be eligible for a maintenance grant if meet the

following conditions

(i) where they are the principal breadwinners in

a household; or

(ii) where they show, to the satisfaction of the

Board, that the course of studies for which the maintenance

grant is requested is reasonably expected to improve their

employment prospects

Provided further that for the purpose of this

regulation, "breadwinner" means a person supporting a

family with earnings from employment.".

Sub-regulation (1) of regulation 6 of the principal

regulations shall be amended as follows

(a) paragraph (iv) thereof shall be deleted and

paragraph (v) thereof shall be renumbered as paragraph (iv)

thereof; and

(b) the proviso thereto shall be substituted by the

following new proviso

"Provided that students who take up university

education as mature students will only be eligible for a

maintenance grant if they meet the following conditions

(i) where they are the principal breadwinners in

a household; or

(ii) where they show, to the satisfaction of the

Board, that the course of studies for which the maintenance

grant is requested is reasonably expected to improve their

employment prospects

Provided further that for the purpose of this

regulation, "breadwinner" means a person supporting a

family with earnings from employment.".

The proviso in regulation 12 of the principal regulations Amends

regulation 12 of

shall be substituted by the following new proviso

the principal

regulations.

"Provided that the following courses shall not be deemed

to be a second or subsequent course for the purposes of this

regulation

(a) a course progressing from a diploma to a

general degree level, or

(b) a course progressing from a general degree to

an honours level, or

(c) a course progressing from a degree to a

postgraduate course required as a pre-requisite for the

purpose of obtaining a warrant to practise a profession.".

In paragraph (g) of sub-regulation (1) of regulation 18 of Amends

the principal regulations, for the words "(KSU);" there shall be regulation

the principal

substituted the words "(KSU); and".

regulations.

The Schedule to the principal regulations shall be amended Amends the

Schedule to the

as follows

principal

regulations.

(a)

Part I thereof shall be amended as follows

(i) in paragraph 4 thereof, for the words

"regulation 5." there shall be substituted the words

"regulation 5:", and immediately thereafter there shall be

added the following new proviso

"Provided that students who progress to a top-

up degree course at the Malta College of Arts,

Science and Technology will have €465.87 made

available every year in which they follow a top-up

degree course, instead of €232.94, to partly cover

expenses related to educational material and

equipment."; and

(ii) in the list of approved Post-Secondary,

Vocational Education and Training Institutions for the

words "Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School

(MATSEC Course)" there shall be substituted the words

"Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary School", and

immediately after the institution "Mikiel Anġ Refalo

Upper Lyceum Gozo" there shall be added the following

"Verdala International School

St. Martin’s College, Swatar

St. Edward’s College, Cottonera

Seminarju Maġġuri, Gozo

Foundation for Educational Services ("Youth.

Inc Programme")

Malta Youth Ballet Foundation ("Diploma in

Professional Dance").";

(b) in Part II Section (A) thereof, for the words "are

following a full-time day undergraduate, degree, LL.D. or M.D.

course at the University of Malta, including a full-time day

degree course offered by the Institute of Conservation and

Restoration Studies, qualify for the following maintenance

grant" there shall be substituted the words "are following, at the

University of Malta, a full-time day undergraduate degree

course, or a postgraduate course required as a pre-requisite for

the purpose of obtaining a warrant to practise a profession,

qualify for the following maintenance grant";

(c)

in Part II Section (C) thereof, for the words from

"The prescribed courses are:" to the words "o. Bachelor of

Education/PGCE - Computer Studies." there shall be substituted

the following

"The prescribed courses are

a. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Biology

b. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Chemistry

c. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Mathematics

d. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Physics

e. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Statistics &

Operations Research

f. Bachelor of Science in Information

Technology (Hons) - Artificial Intelligence;

Computing and Business; Software Development

g. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Computer

Engineering; Computing Science

h. Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) –

Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Mechanical

Engineering

i. Master of Science in Information and

Communication Technology - Microelectronics and

Microsystems; Computer Information Systems;

Telecommunications - for the portion thereof which

is required for the purpose of obtaining a warrant to

practise a profession

j. Bachelor of Science - Business and

Computing

k. Bachelor of Science (Hons) - Business and

Information Technology

l.

Bachelor of Education/PGCE - Biology

m. Bachelor of Education/PGCE - Chemistry

n. Bachelor

of

Education/PGCE

-

Mathematics

o. Bachelor of Education/PGCE - Physics

p. Bachelor of Education/PGCE - Computer

Studies."; and

(d) Part II Section (D) thereof shall be substituted by the

following

"(D) Supplementary Maintenance Grant

University students who become entitled to a

Supplementary Maintenance Grant in terms of

regulation 7 shall be paid the following instead of the

amounts provided for in Sections (A), (B) and (C) of

this part

a) Students attending

general

degree,

diploma and certificate courses

1. €251.57 every four weeks.

2. €582.34 per annum.

3. A one-time grant of €582.34.

b) Students attending prescribed courses

1. €251.57 every four weeks.

2. €698.81 per annum.

3. A one-time grant of €698.81.".

€0.45