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Maltese and Ethiopian Students Connect Through Ethics Education

Students from San Andrea School in Malta and their peers in Ethiopia joined forces in a live, online Ethics lesson as part of the Connecting Classrooms project, a global initiative aimed at nurturing integrity, intercultural understanding and civic responsibility among young people.

The session formed part of a broader collaboration led by Malta’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, together with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in partnership with the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation and the University of Malta’s Faculty of Education.

Present for the occasion were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Hon. Dr Ian Borg; Mr Neville Aquilina, Director General for Global Issues, International Development and Economic Affairs; and Mr Roger Tirazona, Head of the Ethics Department within the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation.

As Ethics Coordinator within the Faculty of Education’s Department of Education Studies, Dr Lucianne Zammit spearheaded the academic coordination of the project. This project builds directly upon the Memorandum of Understanding between the Faculty of Education and its Ethiopian counterparts, by translating the agreement’s principles of academic cooperation into tangible educational practice. Dr Zammit has been instrumental in aligning Maltese Ethics education with global frameworks on integrity, working closely with UNODC to adapt international learning materials for local use. Her efforts have ensured that values such as fairness, tolerance, and respect are firmly embedded in the national Ethics curriculum.

Malta’s pioneering role in this area was recognised last year, when the country’s Ethics education model was showcased to the African Union as an example of good practice in integrating ethics and integrity into education systems.

Educators involved in the project also received specialised UNODC training, enabling them to apply international frameworks to their own teaching contexts. This fusion of global resources and local expertise has positioned Malta as a model for ethical and values-based education, offering a blueprint for similar collaborations worldwide.

During the live session, students from both countries exchanged views on moral dilemmas, fairness, and respect, discovering both common ground and cultural distinctions in how ethical values are understood and applied. These discussions are part of a continuing series of synchronous and asynchronous exchanges, where students will further explore these themes through creative, student-led projects and digital collaborations.

San Andrea School was one of four Maltese schools taking part in the Connecting Classrooms initiative, with parallel sessions being held across other participating schools in Malta and Ethiopia.

The project contributes to Malta’s ongoing commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). By promoting dialogue, understanding, and integrity through education, Connecting Classrooms stands as a powerful example of how learning can transcend borders to inspire ethical global citizens.