Quality education for all

In brief, the title explains the main aim of the plan for education published recently by the Malta Labour Party.

A new Labour government wants to achieve quality in the education sector. This, however, has to be achieved for all children. As a small island state we cannot afford not to invest in and train our own people. And if we want to succeed in this globalised world, it is imperative that we do our utmost and give priority to education. After all, we keep repeating that our only resource are our people.

The plan for education makes it a point that we need to give priority to the primary and secondary sectors. This is so not because the other levels are not important, but for one simple reason. The primary and secondary levels are the backbones of our education system and if we want every child to succeed we need to catch them young. This will give the necessary skills to students to continue to be students not only in the post-secondary and tertiary levels but for life. Nowadays we speak about the concept of lifelong learning or lifelong education. This means that education does not end when we complete compulsory schooling but needs to continue throughout our whole life. During our days at school we acquire the skills to become learners.

It is not enough to say that Malta is a member state of the European Union. We need to make a success out of this membership the majority of voters wanted. The Lisbon Agenda sets out particular and definite targets for EU member states. However, recent statistics are not very encouraging and positive for Malta; on the contrary.

Early school leavers account for 44.5 per cent when the average for the 25 member states is 14.9 per cent. Post-secondary education in Malta accounts for 42.8 per cent whereas the average for the whole EU stands at 76.3 per cent. In Malta, research and development amounts to 0.29 per cent of GDP compared to 1.9 per cent of the EU average. Graduates in science and technology amount to 3.1 per 1,000 students - a quarter of the EU average. The list goes on and on.

Trying to reach the targets set by the Lisbon Agenda is fine but we must not forget the Malta Agenda. Unfortunately, we still have an unacceptable level of illiteracy and a huge number of 16 year olds who leave school without the basic literacy skills. Therefore we need to improve this, first and foremost for our own sake and then for the benefit of the EU itself.

After so many years receiving their education, too many students finish compulsory schooling without acquiring the basic skills or are even illiterate. And this is a very valid reason why we need to improve education in the primary level. To achieve this we need to have more qualified and trained personnel, even after these finish their studies. That is why we are proposing that the kindergarten assistants will be better trained to work with our young ones at kindergarten level.

In this plan we are also proposing to introduce what is being called a reception class. This is an additional year between the second year of the kinder and the first year of the primary level. This will ensure that all children will mature better and will also be better prepared to start their formal education. Most of all, students will finish their primary education after their 11th birthday. This means that for the Junior Lyceum exam all children will be at least 11 years old and, as such, mature to sit with success for this examination.

The Labour education plan stresses the need that future economic and industrial requirements of the country are taken into consideration and that both education and industry will work close together for the benefit of all. We are also proposing to implement and update the National Minimum Curriculum.

Another thing which is being proposed is that technical and vocational training needs to be available in all secondary schools. All students are able to learn and having children with mixed abilities should not be a hurdle for them to learn. We need to make available different ways how these can learn. There has to be a change in mentality that vocational education is in any way inferior to and not as important as academic skills. The country needs them both.

A new Labour government will be analysing the present set-up, keeping what is good and changing what is not working as it should. All this will be done following expert advice from all players in the sphere. No educational initiative will be scrapped out of spite. This will not be in the interest of students who are, after all, the main beneficiaries of the education system. In government, we must continue to adopt a student-centred policy approach to each and every issue as we are doing in opposition.

The Labour Party wants education to be a successful experience from which the students and, eventually, the whole country will benefit.

Mr Abela, MP, is the MLP's main spokesman for education, youth and culture.