The Malta-headquartered company welcomed the prime minister to its school while he was on an official visit to join the UN General Assembly where he spoke about prioritising literacy and transforming education.

#TransformingEducationSummit in #NY. There is a strong appetite for change and progress, together with the resolve to take decisive action. If we succeed in transforming education, we will succeed in transforming our future. #UNGA77 – RA pic.twitter.com/5P3hXb309l

— Robert Abela (@RobertAbela_MT) September 20, 2022

At the EC NYC language centre, Abela toured the school’s facilities and was introduced to students and learnt of expansion plans.

“Right now, we are at around a 100 students,” the centre’s director, Joe Shapiro, said.

“We were up to 150 during the summer busy time, but that’s low for us, we’re still expecting to grow but right now we’re still responding to the pandemic. That being said, we’ve grown every month of every year since [reopening after] the pandemic.

“We’re doing quite well and we’re really happy about it.”

“We were up to a 150 during the summer busy time, but that’s low for us”

EC leaders expect to increase employee numbers from 10 teachers and three staff by 2023, he added.

The provider also has locations in San Diego, San Francisco, and Boston, among the 22 cities worldwide where EC schools are located. It closed its New Zealand and Australia operations in 2021 as a result of the pandemic.

Former Maltese PM, Lawrence Gonzi, inaugurated the EC New York school in 2009.

Shapiro added that EC is renowned for its multicultural atmosphere where students from different cultures can meet and share experiences.

EC courses are suitable for students at any level, and it has previously launched specialised classes for students aged 30+.

Abela highlighted that the company is an example of successful Maltese investment abroad, and prospects for the future are positive.