Supporting Malta’s Digital Education Strategy

Written by: Robin Fairless – COO & CTO, Everybody Counts

Everybody Counts is extremely fortunate to be spending 12 weeks in Malta as guests of SuperCharger Ventures, Enterprise Malta and the wonderfully warm and welcoming people of this island nation.

Malta aims to position itself as the world’s premier EdTech hub, and judging by the calibre of the 13 companies selected from over 650 global applicants, it’s well on the way to achieving that. We’re proud to be one of them.

As part of our residency here, we’re immersing ourselves in everything Malta — and that includes local education strategy and policy. One document in particular has stood out: the Maltese Digital Education Strategy 2025–2030.

This forward-looking roadmap emphasises equity, lifelong learning and the development of digital competences across all educational levels. It also presents a timely opportunity to explore how platforms like Everybody Counts can contribute meaningfully to national transformation.

In this article, I look at how our platform, designed to transform primary school mathematics using inclusive, AI-supported, teacher-led tools, aligns with and strengthens the four key pillars of Malta’s digital strategy.

The Maltese Digital Education Strategy lays out a bold agenda. Among its key aims:

These goals are rooted in broader EU targets set out in the Digital Decade Policy Programme, which aims for 80% of adults in the EU to have at least basic digital skills and 20 million employed ICT specialists by 2030. In Malta, where digital transformation is part of the national economic vision (2021–2031), education is a critical lever for competitiveness, inclusion, and innovation.

Everybody Counts is designed to tackle one of the most persistent challenges in education: making mathematics truly accessible, meaningful and inclusive for every child, particularly between ages 5–11.

Here’s how we align with each pillar of Malta’s strategy:

Pillar 1: Nurturing Digital Global Citizens
Malta’s Aim: Introduce digital literacy from early years and empower learners with foundational AI understanding and eSafety awareness.

Our Role:

Our platform teaches early maths through a digital interface that promotes independent exploration, AI-assisted feedback, and gamified motivation.

Children encounter adaptive exercises that build problem-solving, logical reasoning, and confidence—key components of digital competence (DigComp 2.2).

We support AI literacy at age-appropriate levels, helping children understand how AI adapts to them and how to use it responsibly.

“By Year 6, learners will gain a basic comprehension of the use of Artificial Intelligence…”
Digital Education Strategy, page 31

Pillar 2: Empowering Educators for the 21st Century
Malta’s Aim: Provide CPD in digital literacy, integrate digital pedagogy in teacher training, and recognise digital leadership in schools.

Our Role:
At Everybody Counts, we believe that the best way to empower pupils is to first empower their teachers, especially in primary education, where many teachers are generalists rather than subject specialists.

Our platform includes:

• A teacher dashboard with data-driven insights into student misconceptions, growth, and effort.
• Built-in professional development features on the platform, helping teachers learn new strategies as they teach.
• Comprehensive teacher notes with every lesson—not just instructions, but deep dives into the why behind the method, common misconceptions, extension opportunities, and diagnostic tips. These notes act like a mentor in the classroom, helping educators build mastery and confidence over time.

We recognise that not every primary school teacher starts their career feeling like a “maths person” but with the right support, every teacher can become a maths mastery champion. When teachers are confident, their pupils feel it and learner confidence follows quickly.

Our approach complements Malta’s aims to:

• Embed digital pedagogy into School Development Plans
• Offer CPD aligned with DigCompEdu and OECD Learning Compass frameworks
• Celebrate digital innovation and educator transformation

“Professional development sessions in digital technology will address the challenges that teachers face and boost the confidence of teachers to use technologies.”
Digital Education Strategy, page 46

Pillar 3: Community Engagement and Collaboration
Malta’s Aim: Bring parents, communities, and tech innovators into the education process.

Our Role:

• We offer parent dashboards and at-home practice modes, helping parents stay informed and involved in their child’s maths journey.
• We collaborate with researchers, ministries, and schools (e.g., via the SLDN network) to ensure our product is grounded in the latest education science.
• Our roadmap includes localisation features for language, culture, and curriculum needs.

“Collaboration with EdTech companies and IT professionals… can lead to the development of innovative educational technologies.”
Digital Education Strategy, page 54

Pillar 4: Enriching Digital Resources
Malta’s Aim: Expand access to tablets/laptops, integrate MySchool for assessment, and create Maltese-language digital content.

Our Role:

• Our device-agnostic platform works on low-cost tablets and laptops, aligning perfectly with the One Tablet per Child (OTPC) and One Device per Child (ODPC) initiatives.
• We support formative assessment integration, with a roadmap to connect via MySchool API.
• We are open to partnerships to develop maths resources in Maltese, including voiceovers and culturally relevant word problems.

“Learners will be granted access to a variety of digital resources… fostering inclusive education and reducing early school leaving.”
Digital Education Strategy, page 63

We believe Everybody Counts can be a valuable local partner in helping Malta meet—and exceed—the ambitions of its strategy. We invite:

• School leaders to pilot our platform in alignment with their SDP and CPD goals.
• Educators to explore our training and classroom tools.
• Policy teams at MEYR to collaborate on curriculum localisation, assessment integration, and AI safety frameworks.
• Parents to participate in shaping how digital maths learning supports home life.

If we can get maths right for every child, especially in the formative primary years, we can unlock a new generation of digitally competent, confident and creative global citizens.
Because, quite simply: Everybody Counts.

Want to talk about collaboration, pilot programmes or research partnerships? Feel free to message Robin Fairless directly or email info@everybodycounts.org.uk.