Malta Looking to Issue all Educational Certificates on the Blockchain

Malta Looking to Issue all Educational Certificates on the Blockchain

Crypto-friendly Malta has expanded its blockchain technology pilot project from Blockcerts and Learning Machine, into a nationwide program. The initiative will allow all Maltese educational institutions to issue certificates on the blockchain, according to local news source Independent, on February 21, 2019.

Curbing Certificate Forgery with DLT Permanently

As reported by BTCManager in January 2019, the Maltese Ministry for Education and Employment (MEDE) allied with Learning Machine Group, to allow the latter to launch a pilot blockchain-solution that would facilitate the issuance of academic certificates.

“The loss of time and money in the document request and verification process often translates into missed opportunities to the detriment of educational institutions, employers, and the wider societies they function in,” said Dr. Dan Hughes, co-founder and COO of Learning Machine, at the time.

Following the successful implementation of the program at the nation’s Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) and Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST),  the Maltese government has now signed a memorandum of understanding with Learning Machine for the project’s scope to be extended nationwide.

If all goes as planned, all institutions of learning in Malta, both private and government-owned, will be required to issue certificates on the blockchain.

In essence, Maltese schools and training centers will take advantage of the immutable properties of blockchain technology to eliminate certificate forgery and other malpractices in the sector.

A First of its Kind Initiative

Present at a press conference at Castille, Malta’s Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat iterated that the successful implementation of the “first-of-its-kind” Blockcert project has established the tiny island nation as a formidable force in the global blockchain space.

The Prime Minister also reported that through Learning Machine and Blockcerts, the world can now feel the impact of blockchain technology and how it makes life easier for everyone.

Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services, Digital Economy and Innovation, Silvio Schembri also expressed satisfaction over the project, adding that the groundbreaking technology has already empowered 2,000 students by giving them instant access to their credentials.

Importantly, Schembri also revealed that starting from February 25, 2019, students who are interested in specializing in distributed ledger technology (DLT) at the Masters and PhD levels could start sending in their applications for a €300,000 (~$340,000) fund made available by the government.

That’s not all; the official also hinted that the University of Malta would soon start offering blockchain technology courses at the Masters level, as the nation continues to make solid plans to integrate DLT into other sectors of the Maltese economy.

Published at Fri, 22 Feb 2019 13:00:11 +0000