this trend. Through the international affiliations of the Student Representatives (SRC), they established their first contacts for what developed into a foremost organisation that operated on a national level in the tertiary sector with strong international links. The Maltese Student Travel Department came into being in 1954, growing into the National Student Travel Service (NSTS), which remained an integral part of the SRC within the statutes of the University of Malta. The change in the national educational system in the late seventies and the dimensions and responsibilities of the operations assumed by the student and travel offices created a difficult situation for the "status quo." The university students, meeting in general assembly in 1976, unanimously resolved to constitute a separate legal and economic entity to be the successor of NSTS, but they opted to maintain its public student character. The National Student Travel Foundation (NSTF) was thus created by public deed signed on 10 June 1977 as a not-for-profit foundation of a public character and formally inherited the defunct NSTS by another deed dated 22 October 1977. Current State The NSTF is directly in touch with a large number of Maltese students through the various educational programmes it organises on a national level each year. These programmes complement the educational efforts of local primary, secondary, post-secondary, and tertiary educational institutions. The NSTF Mini European Assembly is a simulation of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where students represent a European country and discuss topics of European relevance. The Science Projects aim to promote a positive exchange of scientific ideas amongst students at a national and international level by celebrating the positive applications of science in all areas of Maltese society. NSTF is also in contact with many youth NGOs overseas, such as MILSET (Mouvement International pour le Loisir Scientifique Et Technique) and its members, the Model European Parliament Foundation, et al., through its participation in various European/International events. All educational programmes on a national level are held on a non-contributory basis for students. NSTF assists students to further their full-time tertiary education overseas through the NSTF Student Travel Bursaries Scheme and awards secondary school students for particular initiatives taken among their companions and in extra-curricular events through the NSTF Prize for Initiative. NSTF also provides specific facilities for student and youth mobility through prestigious international affiliations and fosters the mobility and exchange of students at an international level