The Malta Communications Authority (MCA), in collaboration with the eLearning Department, today have organised an event to officially recognise schools that have attained the eSafety label accreditation. 55 schools have been presented with a certificate reflecting the level achieved which varied between bronze, silver and gold which is a reflection of the policies and procedures in place to protect their students online. Each accredited school was also awarded with a wall plaque to be affixed at their school.
The certification ceremony took place at St. Thomas More College Middle School in Tarxien with the presence of the Minister for Education and Employment, Evarist Bartolo, Parliamentary Secretary for Competitiveness and Economic Growth, Dr Jose’ Herrera and the MCA Chairman, Dr. Edward Woods.
In every country, young people are carrying with them increasingly powerful access devices and are linking to social network sites, building their own online communities and creating and sharing content. In this day and age, restricting the use of technology in order to protect young people is not only an impractical solution but also counterproductive to their formal education and overall development. To support schools in their endeavour to allow students to enjoy the virtual world safely, European Schoolnet has set up the ‘eSafety Label', a European-wide accreditation for schools. This represents a major step forward in the drive to develop and maintain high standards of eSafety and provide practical solutions to this challenge.
One of MCA’s responsibilities is the advancement of a digital society, including the safe and smart use of the Internet by minors. Over the past years, the Malta Communication Authority, jointly with the Office of the Commissioner for Children, Aġenzija Appoġġ, and the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education, has been coordinated the implementation of BeSmartOnline!, a project co-funded by the European Union.
As of January this year, the MCA has furthered its work in this field by being recognised as the national administration of the eSafety label. “The MCA, together with various partners, has been on the forefront in raising awareness on the risks associated with internet use. This initiative has provided another avenue through which this objective can be reached whilst further sustaining the efforts being made by the educational sector to ensure that children make the most of the technological opportunities they nowadays have in schools” said Hon. Herrera.
Schools wishing to attain the certification may do so by logging into www.esafetylabel.eu where they will be guided through a number of services including a self-assessment mechanism which will be followed by a personalised action plan guiding them to strengthen their policies and procedures in this regard. Furthermore, accredited schools can benefit from a wide range of resources and from an online community which will allow them to exchange ideas and experiences with their foreign counterparts. Schools wishing to get more information can visit www.esafetylabel.eu. In case of any queries they may contact the Malta Communications Authority on 21336840.
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