The Nationalist Party has your e-mail and is using it

The Data Protection Commissioner has been asked to investigate whether the PN has been given access to thousands of e-mails of government and public entity employees to use them in its membership drive and to communicate with them in the coming election campaign.

The Data Protection Commissioner has been given e-mails to show that the PN has sent emails to people on their personal e-mails and also to public sector employees on their email at work.

Is it a coincidence that this blanket e-mail campaign has started in recent days, since IT Minister Austin Gatt went back to PN Headquarters to run the PN election campaign?

Is it a coincidence as in this campaign he has roped in to help him people like Claudio Grech, who used to run MITTS that has the e-mails of all government and public sector employees?

It is the first time that in its drive for new members, the PN is targeting public sector employees and communicating with them through their e-mail at the workplace. How did the PN obtain these e-mail addresses?

Grech has always denied that he abused of his position at MITTS to help the PN in acquiring data that falls under the Data Protection Act.

In recent days Malta Environment Planning Authority (MEPA) employees received an email from the PN inviting them to enroll in the party and become PN card carrying members. They are requested to click on the banner and pay their membership fee on-line that is found in the portal www.pn.org.mt

Or by sending an SMS with their ID card number on 50619221.The appeal ends with these words: "Thank you and welcome to the PN". They are informed that a SMS costs €11.65 which includes the membership fee and the commission charged by the company sending out this email shot.

The Data Protection Commissioner has promised to investigate the complaints that he has received. Let us see what the outcome of his investigation will be.

36% of our students fall behind early

The results of the Programme for International Students Assessment (PISA) for 2010 showed that Malta's students were estimated to have an average score significantly higher than for the lowest performing OECD country, Mexico. The Maltese average was statistically the same as those for Serbia, Costa Rica and Bulgaria.

In Malta, girls significantly outperformed boys and have the largest gender gap in reading across all 74 PISA 2009 and PISA 2009 participants.

64% of students in Malta are estimated to have a proficiency in reading literacy that is at or above the baseline needed to participate effectively and productively in life. This compares to 81% in the OECD countries, on average.  Malta is notable among PISA 2009 participants in that it has a relatively large proportion of advanced readers but also a relatively large proportion of poor and very poor readers in the population.

The Maltese students' estimated mathematical literacy average was the same as that estimated for students from Greece, and higher than those from the OECD countries Israel, Turkey, Chile and Mexico. In Malta, 66% of students are proficient in mathematics at least to the baseline level at which they begin to demonstrate the kind of skills that enable them to use mathematics in ways that are considered fundamental for their future development. This compares to 75% in the OECD countries, on average.

In Malta, there was a statistically significant gender difference in mathematical literacy, favouring girls.

Maltese students were estimated to have an average score on the scientific literacy scale that was statistically the same those observed in the OECD countries Turkey and Israel and significantly higher than those estimated for two other OECD countries, Chile and Mexico.

In Malta, two-thirds of students are proficient in science at least to the baseline level at which they begin to demonstrate the science competencies that will enable them to participate actively in life situations related to science and technology.

In Malta, there was a statistically significant gender difference in scientific literacy, favouring girls.  This was the largest gender gap in scientific literacy among all PISA 2009 and PISA 2009 participants, along with those observed in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.