EPALE Awards Ceremony 2018, Celebrating Adult Learning in Malta
EPALE Awards Ceremony 2018, Celebrating Adult Learning in Malta
The Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability within the Ministry for Education and Employment hosted the EPALE (Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe) Awards 2018 last Tuesday 23 October. The ceremony was a celebration of adult education initiatives and provided formal recognition of adult learners and adult educators.
The award ceremony set out to acknowledge the work being done in the area of adult education in Malta. The theme of improving the lives of people, their families and society as a whole was a recurrent one throughout the night. With 40 nominations received by EPALE, it is envisaged that these awards will continue to be held biennially. A keynote speech was delivered by Sir Alan Tuckett, Professor of Education at the University of Wolverhampton, Honorary Fellow of UNESCO’s Institute of Lifelong Learning, and Past President of the International Council for Adult Education. He was also given a knighthood in the Queen’s New Year Honours 2018 for his services to adult learning. During his keynote speech, he stressed the importance of sharing adult learning stories to encourage people to invest in their professional development.
The presentation of the first two awards by Sir Alan started with the Adult Learner Award and the Digital Learning Project Award. Kris Muscat accepted the award for the adult learner for his dedication and perseverance as an adult learner and Kim Micallef and Fr Edgar Busuttil accepted the digital learning project award on behalf of Iċ-Ċavetta for their effort in tackling literacy needs in Malta.
Stephen Cachia, Director General for Curriculum, Lifelong Learning and Employability at the Ministry presented the Adult Educator Award and the Volunteer in Adult Education Award. Jacqueline Fava received the adult educator award for her unique teaching approach and dedication. Anna Grech was awarded the Volunteer in Adult Education for her years of dedication in providing English lessons to refugees living in Malta.
Elaine Compagno accepted the Adult Learning Project Award on behalf of the project SOAR for the peer-to-peer support and advocacy service for female victims and survivors of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse. This award was presented by Alex Farrugia, Director, at the Directorate for Lifelong Learning. William Pace and Mario Attard accepted the last award for of the night, the Recognition of 45+ Years in Professional Teaching Award presented by Daniela Blagojevic, Assistant Director at the Directorate for Lifelong Learning.
The Directorate is the National Support Service for EPALE, which is an online platform community for professionals working in the adult education sector. EPALE is funded by the European Commission, in an ongoing effort to improve the quality of adult learning in Europe. The platform enables the sharing of content related to adult learning, including news, blog posts, resources, events, and courses. EPALE has a community of over 45,000 registered members.
Facebook: Adult Learning in Malta
Website: https://ec.europa.eu/epale/mt
Live stream recording: https://goo.gl/7LcT9T
