Visit to EU funded sites for students
SEM and Europe Direct Valletta, with the support of and in close collaboration with Heritage Malta, organised the last from a series of visits for secondary school students to EU co-funded sites. These visits were intended to raise awareness among students on how EU funds are invested in several areas and projects.
On December 6, students from St Benedict College, Ħal Kirkop Secondary School and St Clare College, Pembroke Secondary School visited the Tarxien Prehistoric Complex, experiencing first-hand the ways in which EU funds transformed the site.
Discovered in 1913 by local farmers, the Tarxien Temples consist of a complex of four megalithic structures built in the late Neolithic and then readapted for use during the Early Bronze Age.
Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, the temples experienced major upgrades in recent years. In 2012, an elevated walkway was installed to enhance the visitors’ experience when looking at the prehistoric remains from a unique viewpoint. The group of students had the opportunity to walk through these pathways and could literally experience a voyage through history.
The construction of a shelter, with an investment of €2.5 million co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) 2007-2013 as part of the Archaeological Heritage Conservation Project, was also finalised in 2015. Small improvements to the visitors’ centre were also made.
The Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds, Dr Chris Bonett also visited the site and had the opportunity to meet the group of students. In addressing the students, Dr Bonett highlighted the fact that we are all invited to behave as active citizens of the European Union by working together to protect and take care of our heritage. Initiatives like this are the proof of how EU funds can play a main role in achieving these targets.
The students then were invited to recount their experience by answering some questions related to how EU funds were invested in the site they visited, how the project changed the site and in what ways does Malta benefit from EU funds.
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