Executive Summary
A platform built for Malta's next decade of learning
Eskola.edu.mt has served as a cornerstone of digital education in Malta. The new tender demands a step-change: a modern, scalable, multi-stakeholder platform that can host 11 subjects, integrate content from multiple independent suppliers, support 35,000–40,000 concurrent users, and sustain itself beyond any individual supplier contract. Born Digital proposes Eskola Next — built on proven technology, governed by a clear content supply chain, and extensible by design.
📚
Content-first architecture
Supports HTML packages, iframes, video, Unity WebGL, SCORM, interactive quizzes, e-books, and simulations — with a clear ingestion standard for all future suppliers.
🔄
Governed content pipeline
Three-tier access model: suppliers upload, subject directors approve, Digital Literacy publishes. No content reaches students without explicit sign-off.
🎮
Gamification engine
A shared API that any supplier integrates with to award points on lesson completion. Badges, leaderboards, and student dashboards create lasting engagement.
📊
Power BI analytics
Real-time usage telemetry feeds a dedicated Power BI workspace — consumption by subject, by school, by device, by time of day — for data-driven decisions.
🏫
Teacher feedback loop
CORP/SSO authenticated teachers can rate and comment on individual lessons. Feedback is surfaced to the Digital Literacy team and optionally to suppliers.
⚡
Built to scale
Cloud-native infrastructure with auto-scaling, a CDN for all media assets, and performance budgets designed around 40,000 simultaneous users during peak exam prep.
Table of Contents
01 · Context
Where we're starting from
The current eskola.edu.mt platform has already demonstrated value. The new tender significantly expands scope: from 5 lots across Year 7 only to 11 subjects across all year groups. The platform must carry both legacy embedded content and a growing library of net-new, supplier-delivered material.
Lot 1 — EnglishOff-the-shelf interactive English platform, Year 7, all tracks. Iframe embed required.
Lot 2 — MathsAnimated, inquiry-based maths, Year 7, all tracks. Iframe embed required.
Lot 3 — ScienceE-books, simulations, videos, Year 7 Integrated Science. Iframe embed required.
Lot 4 — MalteseCustom content: Metalingwa, Poeżija, Lingwa. Four tracks. Iframe embed required.
Lot 5 — ICTE-book platform + 60 interactive 4K bilingual videos on dedicated YouTube channel. Iframe embed required.
New tender — 11 subjects, all yearsSupplier-delivered HTML packages + media. Full ingestion pipeline, approval workflow, and hosting required.
Legacy strategy: All Lots 1–5 content will be embedded via configurable iframe. The platform stores the iframe URL per lesson, and the Digital Literacy team can update any URL through the admin CMS at any time — no code changes required if a supplier's URL changes.
02 · Architecture
Platform architecture overview
Eskola Next is structured as a set of clearly separated concerns: a student-facing frontend, an administrative CMS, a supplier submission portal, and a gamification API. All components share a single authentication layer and a central content registry.
Frontend — Student Platform
Modern JavaScript framework
Server-side rendering
Responsive & mobile-first
WCAG 2.1 AA compliant
Bilingual (MT/EN)
CMS & Admin Backend
Headless content management system
Relational database
Cloud object storage
Caching layer
REST API
Gamification Service
Standalone microservice
Points ledger
Badge engine
Leaderboard engine
Supplier webhook API
Authentication
Microsoft Entra ID (CORP SSO)
for teachers, directors & admins
Username & password login
for students
Secure session management
Infrastructure
Microsoft Azure
(managed by MITA)
Auto-scaling compute
CDN for media assets
Managed database service
Analytics
Platform event streaming
Analytics data store
Power BI connector
Custom usage dashboards
Usage, completion, feedback
| Role |
Auth method |
Scope |
Key capabilities |
| Student |
Username & password |
Own data only |
Browse lessons, earn points, view own leaderboard rank and badges, track progress |
| Teacher |
CORP SSO (Entra ID) |
Subject(s) assigned |
Browse all lessons in assigned subjects, submit lesson feedback, view class progress (future) |
| Supplier |
Invited portal account |
Own content only |
Upload HTML packages, set/update iframe URLs, manage content metadata, view submission status, re-upload on rejection |
| Director |
CORP SSO (Entra ID) |
Assigned subject(s) only |
Review pending submissions, approve or reject with written rationale, view all content for their subject |
| Digital Literacy Admin |
CORP SSO (Entra ID) |
Full platform |
All of the above, plus system configuration, user management, analytics, Power BI access, publish overrides |
03 · Content Standards
Supported content types
The platform is designed as a content-agnostic renderer. The core principle: content delivered as a self-contained HTML package is the preferred portable format for all new tender deliverables. This guarantees platform independence and long-term sustainability.
🌐
HTML Packages
Self-contained ZIP: HTML, CSS, JS, assets. Rendered in sandboxed iframe. Preferred format for all new content.
🖼️
Iframe Embeds
Configurable URL stored per lesson. Used for all Lots 1–5 legacy content. Admin-editable at any time.
🎬
Video
YouTube embed (ICT videos), Vimeo, or direct MP4 hosted on CDN. Supports captions and multiple subtitle tracks.
🎮
Unity WebGL
Unity games compiled to WebGL, uploaded as HTML packages. Platform handles loading screens and memory limits.
❓
Quizzes
Native quiz builder in admin CMS (MCQ, fill-in, ordering). Or embedded via HTML package with API hooks for scoring.
📖
E-books / PDF
PDF or ePub rendered in-platform via PDF.js or similar. Supports annotation and highlight modes.
🔬
Simulations
PhET-style HTML5 simulations delivered as packages or via iframe from a trusted simulation host.
🎵
Audio
MP3/AAC hosted on CDN. Used for Maltese poetry audio, listening exercises, and lesson narration.
📊
SCORM / xAPI
Optional SCORM 1.2 / xAPI wrapper support for suppliers using authoring tools like Articulate or iSpring.
🖼️
Interactive Images
Hotspot-based diagrams and labelling exercises, either as HTML packages or built with the native content builder.
📝
Worksheets
Downloadable PDF worksheets, optionally with fillable form fields for online submission.
🔗
External Links
Curated external resources with admin-managed link validation and broken-link detection.
Supplier content standard for new tender: All new-tender suppliers will receive a Content Packaging Specification document as part of their contract. HTML packages must implement the Eskola Next JavaScript bridge to report lesson completion events and trigger gamification points via the platform API. Full technical documentation and a reference implementation will be provided at project kick-off.
04 · Module 1
Core platform, admin portal & analytics
The foundation of Eskola Next. A rebuilt student-facing frontend, a comprehensive Digital Literacy admin CMS, a Power BI analytics integration, and the teacher feedback loop. This module alone is a complete, deployable platform.
Subject & year structureHierarchical navigation: Subject → Year → Topic → Lesson. Fully CMS-driven; no code change needed to add subjects or restructure.
Content rendererUnified lesson viewer handles all content types: iframe, HTML package sandbox, video player, PDF viewer, quiz engine.
Track-aware accessCCP, Track 1, 2, 3 filtering. Students see only content relevant to their track (set by school/teacher).
Search & discoveryFull-text search across lesson titles, descriptions, and tags. Filter by subject, year, content type, and track.
Progress trackingPer-student completion state for all lesson types. Visual progress indicators on subject/topic pages.
Bilingual UIFull Maltese and English interface strings managed via CMS. Students can toggle language preference.
AccessibilityWCAG 2.1 AA conformance. Keyboard navigation, screen reader support, sufficient contrast ratios, focus management.
Mobile-first designFull functionality on tablets and phones — critical for homework access. Tested across major browsers and OS versions.
Content taxonomy managementCreate and manage Subjects, Years, Tracks, Topics, and Lessons. Drag-and-drop reordering. Bulk operations.
Iframe URL managementStore, update, and test iframe URLs for all legacy content. Broken link checker runs nightly.
Direct content uploadAdmin can upload HTML packages, videos, PDFs, or audio directly — bypassing the supplier workflow where needed.
User managementCreate and manage teacher accounts, supplier accounts, and director assignments. SSO mapping for CORP users.
Publication schedulingSchedule lesson go-live and takedown dates. Stage content for testing before public release.
Audit logFull change history for every content item, user action, and configuration change. Exportable for compliance.
Lesson-level engagementViews, completion rates, average time-on-lesson, drop-off points, repeat visits per lesson.
Subject & year breakdownUsage heatmaps by subject, year group, and track. Identify under-used and over-performing content areas.
School-level segmentationBreak down usage by school (where student data permits). Support for regional and school-by-school reporting.
Device & browser statsDesktop vs. tablet vs. mobile split. Browser distribution. Peak usage times and days of the week.
Teacher feedback aggregationAverage ratings per lesson, volume of feedback over time, unresolved feedback items, supplier response rate.
Gamification metricsPoints awarded by subject, active players by day, badge distribution, leaderboard participation rate.
Platform events are tracked and streamed to an analytics data store hosted on Azure. Power BI connects via scheduled import or direct query. Dashboards are embedded into the admin portal for convenience, and also accessible directly in Power BI Service for advanced filtering and export.
Lesson-level rating1–5 star rating + free-text comment, submitted directly from the lesson view. Teachers log in via CORP SSO; no separate account needed.
Structured feedback categoriesTeachers tag feedback by type: content accuracy, engagement level, curriculum alignment, technical issue, language/translation.
Admin inboxAll feedback visible to Digital Literacy admin with status tracking (new → reviewed → actioned). Bulk export to Excel.
Supplier visibility (optional)Admin can choose to share aggregated or individual feedback with the relevant supplier, without exposing teacher identity.
05 · Module 2
Content submission portal
A structured workflow that governs how content moves from supplier to live platform. Three levels of access, a clear approval chain, and a full notification system ensure quality without creating bottlenecks.
Standard approval flow
Supplier uploads
content
→
Rejection flow
Supplier
notified by email
→
Supplier revises
& re-uploads
→
Director accounts are scoped to their assigned subject(s) only. A Director for Religion cannot see or act on Maths submissions. The Digital Literacy Admin retains a platform-wide override to publish, reject, or re-assign any submission.
HTML package uploadDrag-and-drop ZIP upload with automatic extraction and validation: checks for index.html, asset paths, package size limits, and bridge script inclusion.
Iframe URL managementSet or update iframe URLs for legacy and new content. URL is validated for HTTPS and tested for responsiveness before submission.
Content metadataSuppliers fill in title, description, subject, year, track, language, content type, and any accessibility notes before submitting.
Preview before submissionSuppliers can preview how content will render in the platform's lesson viewer before submitting for director review.
Submission status trackingReal-time status: Draft, Submitted, Under Review, Approved, Rejected, Live. Full submission history with timestamps.
Re-upload on rejectionSuppliers receive rejection reason by email and in-portal notification. They can revise and re-upload directly against the rejected submission, maintaining the content thread.
Version historyEvery upload is versioned. Previous versions are retained and can be restored by the Digital Literacy admin if a new version causes issues.
Gamification API keyEach supplier receives a unique API key scoped to their content, used to call the points API from within their HTML packages.
Review queueAll pending submissions for their assigned subject(s), sorted by submission date. Clear visual differentiation between new, in-progress, and recently actioned items.
In-portal previewDirectors preview content exactly as students would see it before approving or rejecting.
Structured rejection reasonsMandatory selection from a taxonomy of rejection reasons (curriculum alignment, quality, technical, language) plus optional free-text. This ensures suppliers receive actionable feedback.
Approval confirmationTwo-click approval with confirmation dialog. Approved content enters the Digital Literacy admin queue for final publication scheduling.
06 · Module 3
Gamification engine
A purpose-built engagement layer that incentivises learning completion. The gamification system is structured as a standalone microservice with a well-documented API, making it trivially easy for any supplier to integrate points-awarding into their HTML content.
Points API for suppliersSuppliers call POST /api/v1/points/award with their API key, student token, lesson ID, and a point value set by the Digital Literacy team. Idempotent — no double-awarding.
EskolaBridge JS libraryA small JavaScript library suppliers include in their HTML packages. Handles student authentication state and calls the points API transparently — suppliers don't need to manage auth themselves.
Points configurationDigital Literacy admin sets point values per lesson type (e.g. quiz completion = 50pts, video watch = 20pts, interactive exercise = 75pts). Can be adjusted without supplier involvement.
XP & level systemCumulative XP unlocks level titles (e.g. Learner → Scholar → Expert). Levels provide a visible progression milestone that complements badges.
Streak trackingDaily and weekly login streaks tracked automatically by the platform. Streak bonuses multiply points earned. Visualised on the student dashboard.
Anti-gaming safeguardsRate limiting per student per lesson. Minimum time-on-lesson thresholds before points are awarded. Anomaly detection flags suspicious patterns for admin review.
🏅 Badge system
- Subject-specific achievement badges
- Milestone badges (first lesson, 10 lessons, 100 lessons)
- Streak badges (7 days, 30 days)
- Perfect score badges on quizzes
- Secret/surprise badges for hidden actions
- Admin can create custom badges with uploaded artwork
🏆 Leaderboards
- School-wide leaderboard (opt-in)
- Subject-specific leaderboards
- Class leaderboard (teacher-managed groups)
- Weekly & all-time rankings
- Privacy controls — students choose display name
- Top 3 highlighted, own rank always visible
📱 Student dashboard
- Total XP and current level displayed prominently
- Badge collection with progress toward next badge
- Lesson completion history
- Current streak with calendar view
- Leaderboard position at a glance
- Weekly XP earned chart
Student authentication for gamification: Students authenticate using their school-issued ID and a PIN (set on first login). This is a lightweight, school-manageable identity system that does not require email addresses or parental consent beyond what schools already manage. SSO integration with existing school management systems (e.g. iSAMS) can be scoped as a future enhancement.
07 · Infrastructure
Scalability & performance
With 35,000–40,000 potential users — many active simultaneously during exam periods — the platform must be designed for peak load from day one. All infrastructure is hosted on Microsoft Azure, provisioned through MITA, with auto-scaling at every tier.
Auto-scaling computeApplication services scale horizontally based on CPU and memory metrics, automatically handling peak load — such as during exam preparation periods — without manual intervention.
CDN for media assetsAll static assets — HTML packages, images, videos, stylesheets — are served from a content delivery network. Students across Malta receive fast, reliable load times.
Managed databaseFully managed, replicated relational database with automatic failover. Separate read capacity for analytics queries, ensuring reporting never impacts platform performance.
Cloud object storageAll uploaded content — HTML packages, PDFs, audio, images — stored in managed cloud storage with versioning enabled for content rollback.
Caching layerSession data, leaderboard snapshots, and frequently accessed metadata are cached in memory, significantly reducing database load on high-traffic paths.
Load testingPre-launch load testing simulates 40,000 concurrent sessions across lesson views, video streaming, and API calls. Pass criteria are defined and agreed with the client before testing.
Hosting & data residency: All infrastructure is hosted on Microsoft Azure, provisioned and managed by MITA under the Government of Malta's existing Azure agreement. Student PII is stored and processed within the EU at all times. Born Digital develops and configures within the MITA-provisioned environment — no separate infrastructure costs are billed.
08 · Maintenance & Longevity
Life beyond the supplier contract
One of the most critical requirements: when supplier contracts end, the platform must not lose its content. The architecture is designed so that content is owned by the platform, not the supplier — and any Digital Literacy team member can manage it without technical assistance.
Content is stored on the platform
All HTML packages, videos, audio, and PDFs uploaded by suppliers are stored in platform-owned cloud storage on Azure. When a supplier's contract ends, their content remains fully accessible and managed by Digital Literacy.
Iframe URLs are admin-editable
If a supplier's platform is decommissioned after contract end, the Digital Literacy admin can update the iframe URL for any lesson to point to new content, a static archive, or a replacement — no developer involvement required.
HTML packages are self-contained
Content delivered as HTML packages makes no external network calls to supplier infrastructure. Once uploaded, it runs entirely from the platform's own hosting and CDN. Supplier disappearing = no impact.
Admin CMS empowers the team
The Digital Literacy team can edit any lesson's metadata, swap content, change iframe URLs, upload replacement files, and publish or unpublish at any time. No dependency on Born Digital for day-to-day content operations.
Ongoing SLA options
Born Digital provides an inclusive 2-year support and hosting management agreement as part of this proposal. Azure infrastructure costs are managed separately through MITA.
Documentation & handover
Full technical documentation, architecture diagrams, runbooks, and admin training are included. The platform is built on open standards — no proprietary lock-in. A competent development team can take over and maintain independently.
09 · Timeline
Proposed delivery roadmap
Delivery is structured in three sequential phases aligned to the three modules. Module 1 delivers value immediately — a working platform the Digital Literacy team can use. Modules 2 and 3 build on top of it. Total project duration: approximately 12 months.
Phase 1 · Months 1–4
Module 1 — Core platform, admin CMS, Power BI, teacher feedback
⏱ 4 months
Foundation sprint covering the student-facing rebuild, admin CMS, iframe support for all legacy content (Lots 1–5), Microsoft Entra ID SSO, teacher feedback submission, and Power BI event pipeline with initial dashboards.
Student platform (frontend)
Admin CMS
Iframe lesson support
CORP SSO integration
Teacher feedback UI
Power BI pipeline
Initial Power BI dashboards
Infrastructure deployment
UAT & load testing
Phase 2 · Months 4–8
Module 2 — Content submission portal, supplier portal, director review
⏱ 4 months
Supplier and director portal development. Includes HTML package upload, validation pipeline, approval workflow, email notification system, version history, and full supplier-facing documentation including the Content Packaging Specification.
Supplier portal
Director review portal
Upload & validation pipeline
Approval workflow engine
Email notification system
Version history
Content Packaging Spec doc
Supplier onboarding guide
Phase 3 · Months 8–12
Module 3 — Gamification engine, points API, badges, leaderboards
⏱ 4 months
Gamification microservice, EskolaBridge JS library, student login system, badge engine, leaderboard, student dashboard, and all gamification admin tooling. Includes documentation and integration support for new-tender suppliers.
Student auth system
Points microservice
EskolaBridge JS library
Badge engine & editor
Leaderboard system
Student dashboard
Admin gamification config
Supplier integration guide
Gamification Power BI dashboards
Post-launch · Month 12+
Hypercare, handover, and ongoing maintenance
⏱ Ongoing
Two-week hypercare period post-launch with dedicated support. Full technical handover documentation. Transition to a maintenance agreement per the client's chosen tier.
Hypercare support
Technical documentation
Admin training sessions
Maintenance SLA (optional)
Timelines assume timely client feedback (within 5 business days per milestone) and a project kick-off within 4 weeks of contract signature. Module 1 can launch independently while Module 2 is in development — giving the Digital Literacy team a production platform to work with from month 4. Phases can be run in parallel if budget allows for a larger team.
10 · Investment
Cost breakdown by module
All development costs are fixed-fee for the defined scope. VAT is not included. Azure hosting infrastructure is managed through MITA and is not included in these costs. A 2-year support and hosting management agreement is included as a separate line item.
Module 1
Core Platform + Admin + Power BI + Teacher Feedback
Fixed fee · 4 month delivery
VAT not included
Includes
- Student-facing platform rebuild
- Digital Literacy admin CMS
- Iframe support for all 5 legacy lots
- HTML package rendering engine
- CORP SSO integration (teachers & staff)
- Student username & password login
- Teacher feedback submission & admin inbox
- Power BI analytics event pipeline
- 4 Power BI dashboard reports
- Azure infrastructure setup (via MITA)
- UAT support + load testing (40k users)
- Bilingual (MT/EN) UI · WCAG 2.1 AA
⏱ Months 1–4
Module 2
Content Submission Portal — Supplier & Director
Fixed fee · 4 month delivery
VAT not included
Includes
- Supplier portal (separate subdomain)
- Director review portal
- HTML package upload + auto-validation
- Iframe URL submission + HTTPS check
- 3-tier approval workflow engine
- Email notification system (all states)
- Version history + content rollback
- Supplier API key management
- Content Packaging Specification document
- Supplier onboarding guide
- Submission analytics in Power BI
⏱ Months 4–8
Module 3
Gamification Engine — Points, Badges, Leaderboards
Fixed fee · 4 month delivery
VAT not included
Includes
- Student login system (username & password)
- Points ledger microservice + REST API
- EskolaBridge JS library for suppliers
- Badge engine + admin badge editor
- XP levels & progression system
- Streak tracking & bonuses
- Leaderboard (school, subject, class, weekly)
- Student gamification dashboard
- Anti-gaming safeguards
- Supplier integration documentation
- Gamification Power BI dashboards
⏱ Months 8–12
Module 1 — Core
€40,000
Months 1–4
Module 2 — Submission portal
€20,000
Months 4–8
Module 3 — Gamification
€30,000
Months 8–12
Support & Hosting Mgmt
€24,000
€1,000/month · 24 months
Azure costs via MITA
Total investment (development + 2-year support)
€114,000
Excludes VAT. Azure infrastructure costs are managed separately through MITA and are not included. Payment milestone schedule available on request.
Azure infrastructure costsProvisioned and managed through MITA as part of the Government of Malta's Azure agreement. Not billed by Born Digital.
Content migration (old platform)If existing content from eskola.edu.mt needs to be extracted and re-ingested (not iframed), this requires a dedicated migration sprint — price on scope.
School management system integrationSSO or data sync with iSAMS or other school MIS for automatic student/class provisioning. Price on discovery.
Native mobile appsThe platform is fully mobile-responsive but does not include native iOS/Android apps. These can be added as a future module.
Power BI Premium licenceClient must hold or procure a Power BI Premium capacity licence to embed reports in the admin portal. Microsoft pricing applies.
Assumptions
- 01.Client provides access to Microsoft Entra ID tenant for CORP SSO integration (teachers, directors, and admins) and testing within 2 weeks of project start.
- 02.Client provides all existing iframe URLs for Lots 1–5 in a structured format (spreadsheet) within 2 weeks of project start.
- 03.Client reviews and signs off on each milestone within 5 business days of delivery.
- 04.Client (or MEDE IT) procures and manages the DNS records and SSL certificates for eskola.edu.mt and portal subdomains.
- 05.New-tender suppliers are contractually required to implement the EskolaBridge JS library as a condition of their tender — this is a client-side procurement obligation, not a platform development task.
- 06.Student data (school ID mappings, class assignments) will be provided via a secure bulk import mechanism — the platform does not manage school enrolment records directly.
- 07.Born Digital retains discretion to substitute equivalent technology components (e.g. CMS, infrastructure services) where a superior option exists at time of development, with client notification.
