More than 2,000 complete FES adult education courses

More than 500 adult learners have just finished a course in basic and advanced ICT. Around 140 adults have finished their Maltese proficiency and public speaking training, while another 145 adults have polished their English and Italian language skills. Another 800 have followed courses in life skills, personal care, group dynamics and parent leadership.

The number of adults following the various 10-30-hour long courses in their own locality, organised by the Foundation for Educational Services (FES), a public entity that falls within the remit of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment, totals more than 2,000. Most of the participants were new to non-formal adult learning opportunities, which were being held in community-based lifelong learning centres in Vittoriosa, Birkirkara, Hamrun, Senglea, Zabbar, Zebbug and Zejtun.

Nora Macelli, chief executive officer of FES, said that when the project was launched in January 2005, the FES had issued an invitation through the media for local councils, schools and community-based organisations to indicate their interest in embarking on a partnership with FES to set the project in motion. The target was expanded to another two localities to a total of seven.

Ms Macelli said: "The approach that we decided to adopt was two-pronged. Given the tight deadlines and definite project targets, we immediately started off by offering some courses. Parallel to this, the Lifelong Learning Centre organisers, employed and trained through the project, went around the communities establishing working relationships with the local council, schools, parish groups and other community-based organisations. Open meetings were held for residents who were also contacted informally through local clubs, the community library and other open spaces.

"Initially, we found that the residents found it quite strange being consulted about courses of interest to them as adults and as workers or potential workers. But as the process evolved, the residents started suggesting courses themselves. For example, courses on self-esteem were suggested by community members and as the word of mouth spread, others came to ask about the possibility of joining."

The project, co-financed by the European Commission through the Structural Funds Programme for Malta (75 per cent) and the government, included a basic and advanced ICT course which proved to be the most popular. The advanced ICT course was followed by adult learners who had completed their first course, as well as others who were already quite proficient.

"The project brought us in contact with adults who did not wish to remain dependent on their IT-literate children and young relatives. They wanted to prove to themselves that they could learn to use computers and joined up with friends and relatives to follow an introductory course. Many women told us that the courses helped them overcome their fear of computers. Some told us before the courses, they wouldn't even dust the monitor and tower at home in case they damaged them. Through these courses, many participants overcame their fear of computers and resistance to learning to use them and started making inroads," Ms Macelli said.

The FES courses also catered for people with a disability through the setting up of four courses. The first was organised at Zejtun in conjunction with Fondazzjoni Arka, that runs two community-based homes for youths and adults with a disability.

Through discussions with the foundation's management, the need for a literacy course through the use of IT was felt.

"In Cospicua, we collaborated with the Ghaqda Bormliza Persuni B'Dizabilità to organise IT courses for the members from Cottonera. In Senglea, in collaboration with the Kummissjoni Nazzjonali Persuni B'Dizabilità (KNPD), the local council and the state primary school, we identified families with a member with special needs and invited them to an initial meeting. The FES course was designed around the expressed concerns and issues of the participants. The process was a successful one and led to the setting up of a community-based self-help group which continued to meet. The course linked families to other national organisations and participants started to make contacts to derive further benefits," Ms Macelli explained.

The Senglea process was repeated in Zebbug. In both localities, trained child-minders from the FES NindokraPlus Service provided their services to children to enable adults to actively participate in this group-based learning opportunity.

Ms Macelli said that at each learning celebration that was held, FES interviewed participants for their feedback.

She said: "There was an overwhelming positive expression. Besides boosting self-confidence and self-esteem, many stated that the courses helped them at work, encouraged them to seek other opportunities, enabled them to leave the home "cocoon" and start to interact with others and fuelled their desire to learn. Many started to contact their local council to suggest other adult education programmes. The broad aim of stimulating a readiness to engage in lifelong learning processes was quite successful. In some localities, many women expressed that the range of opportunities that were sprouting around them was exciting."

Meanwhile, a cadre of trained child-minders has been formed under an FES NindokraPlus Service. Parents who form part of this cadre are remunerated for the services they provide during non-formal lifelong learning opportunities offered by FES. This service is slowly opening another pathway to flexible work.

Ms Macelli explained that trained parents from the Cottonera area have been promoting reading through their local and regional library. Others, such as parents in Senglea, have reached out to parents whose children are about to be or have just been admitted to kindergarten to share learning strategies using the kindergarten facilities of their school. Such an initiative eases this early years transition.

Other parents whose children are still grappling with literacy skills participate with their children in the Nwar programme. In so doing, and using the Nwar Tutor as a model, parents quickly learn practical methodologies that further help their children to learn.

Writing Clubs for parents are another opportunity that excites parents who join a parallel club with their children, she explained.

One of the strengths of FES is linked to the continuous professional development of teachers. Through its own in-house staff development programme as well as through basic skills action plans developed with state colleges, FES provides a range of teacher training opportunities in such fields as writing process, language acquisition programmes and parent participation in education.

The future looks bright as FES looks forward to initiatives that will be developed by the state colleges. "The National Curriculum expects schools to transform themselves into hubs of community learning. Lifelong learning is a key element of the new Educational Services Directorate that is being established as part of the reform of the compulsory education sector. At FES, we shall continue to focus on the provision of a range of lifelong learning opportunities for parents so that they too will become a positive force that enriches school communities," Ms Macelli concluded.

For more information visit www.fes.org.mt or send an e-mail to fes@gov.mt.