MINISTER LOUIS GALEA INAUGURATES CHILDREN?S PAINTING EXHIBITION "40 YEARS OF MANNED SPACE FLIGHT"

The Minister of Education Louis Galea and the Russian Ambassador S. Zotov, inaugurated a children's painting exhibition titled "40 years of Manned Space Flight". Almost 300 students are participating in this exhibition which marks the 40^th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first manned flight into outer space in the spaceship Vostok 1 on the 12^th April 1961. The Exhibition will be open until the end of April.

The children's paintings portray scenes from space, space vehicles, space stations, cosmonauts, planets etc. The exhibition is an initiative of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture and with the collaboration of the Division of Education. The competition, which was launched in February, was aimed at giving children the opportunity to gain a better awareness of space science and technology and the role of Russia in the history of space exploration.

The competition was open to all children over 7 years of age. Participants were required to paint, using different media, any picture connected with outer space. The 300 entries are divided into 3 age groups. The winners of each age group will receive diplomas, gifts and commemorative medals.

The Minister remarked that today's youth could easily forget the achievements of the past century. Children today are born in a world where TV, computers and the Internet, and telecommunications in general are the order of the day, however one must understand that all this would not be possible without the important discoveries and advances in science and technology of the past century.

The Minister concluded that children should take this opportunity to research more our recent history so as to understand that we are currently living a golden age of discovery and innovation. Children need to understand that today, like never before, we are experiencing change on a daily bases, changes which effect our lives daily and which challenge our more traditional ways of thinking and acting. As the space age was for many a platform for innovation, so too should the Information Technology age we are discovering and exploring today be a platform for innovation and social advancement.

Maltese Students should make good use of the opportunities that are available for the taking. Unlike previous revolutions, the Information Revolution puts more emphasis on the individual, his skills and knowledge base and not on the land or capital owned, this should be for Malta an opportunity which we never had before and which is the main motivator for Government's constant commitment towards Education.