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Malta has experienced an average growth rate of 3.38% in English-language students who come for the customary two-week intensive language course, since 2001.
In 2005, the island registered its highest level of students ever, 61,607, with a 10% growth, the highest ever in the last five years. The majority of students, 25%, hailed from Germany.
Italians ranked the second highest, 18%, followed by French students, Austrians, and Russians.
2005 also marked a return to 2001 levels when drops in foreign students were registered in 2003, decreasing marginally from 53,975 to 53,241.
The English-language school business also represents a mainstay of supplementary income for families who open their doors to students for their summer accommodation. In last week’s budget, Lawrence Gonzi introduced a measure allowing host families to be exempt from national insurance payments, retroactively.
The government effectively reversed a measure introduced in 2005 to reap tax from incomes earned by host families. The measure was opposed by the Chamber of SMEs (GRTU) as a negative blow to the economy at a time when income and consumption were low.
In total, over 277,000 foreigners came to Malta to study English between 2001 and 2005.
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