October 1999

Update: Malta

Background:

One should keep in mind the size of the Malta when analyzing the figures. Malta has a population of 370,000 living on an area of 420 square km, making it one of the densest populations in the world.

Many of the websites of primary and secondary are the initiative of individual schools and not a concerted effort by the Ministry of Education. Internet access in public schools for the time being is available only in schools that took the initiative. The project to introduce access in all public schools, which had to be launched in October 1998, has been postponed with no alternative date given.

The website of the University of Malta (http://www.um.edu.mt) was one of the pioneering websites in Malta and remains the best educational website in Malta.

The website of the Malta Government Network (MAGNET) provides information about all the government ministries and departments, but two ministries in particular (Foreign Affairs and Finance) have their own website outside MAGNET. Some departments, like the Environmental Protection Department have chosen to set their own website outside MAGNET.

The only website of a museum is actually on MAGNET's domain name, but it has a distinctive character and can be held as separate.

Several Local Councils took the initiative to have their own website. It is envisaged that with the networking of all 67 Local Councils into a digital value-added network, to be implemented as from the last quarter of 1999, each Council will have an automatic on-line presence in the form of a website.

• Central Office of Statistics http://www.magnet.mt/home/cos/index.html
• Malta Government Information Network (MAGNET) http://www.magnet.mt
• The Museums Department and the Libraries Department at the Ministry of Education do not have websites yet.