MLP committed to world class education

"Ibn Campusino" could not resist asking the Labour Party if it could commit itself not to freeze the enormous progress in our education system and whether we think that too much money is being invested in the education system. (Commentary: 'Education, education and more education' - The Sunday Times, June 3). The anonymous author has either not read Labour's Plan for Education in Malta and Gozo, or otherwise wants to mislead readers. Had s/he done so s/he/ would not have asked these questions.

First, let me dispel some of the myths about the so called "enormous progress" that the present Nationalist administration is claiming in education. The Europe in Figures Yearbook for 2006-2007 shows that in this highly critical area, Malta fails on every count.

At 41.2% Malta has the highest percentage of early school leavers among the EU 25, when the average is 15.2%. Likewise, at just 48.1%, Malta has the lowest youth educational attainment level among the EU 25 where the average is 76.9%. Malta also lags far behind where reaching the targets of the Lisbon Agenda is concerned and Malta is also one of the countries with the highest illiteracy rates in the EU.

It is these failures which Labour's plan for education in Malta and Gozo is designed to address. Thus among the objectives we have set ourselves to achieve are those of "improving the quality of teaching in the post-secondary and tertiary level" (p. 8 no. 1.18).

We are also committed to "investing in and increasing research, both among students and among the academic staff" (ibid.). In this manner we hope to ensure that our "University will be an institution which plays in the premier division and which compares well with the best universities in Europe." (ibid.)

With regard to MCAST, our plan makes it very clear that we want to extend its scope and improve its output. Specifically, we say: "It is our aim that the number of both male and female students at MCAST increases, while the physical environment also increases to cater for the growing number of students who choose to continue their education at the college" (ibid. p. 34).

We also firmly believe, however, that the long-term success of Malta in the educational sector and as a country depends on investment right from the word go and this is why in our plan for education we are proposing measures to improve the quality of education in the early years of Malta's educational system.

Thus we plan to limit the number of students per class in primary school to not more than 25, while we are also aiming to have primary schools whose population does not exceed 400.

We will also be introducing a reception class between the second year of kindergarten and the first year of primary school to ensure that formal education begins at an age when it is more in line with the cognitive and emotional development of children.

We aim to increase the number of ICT and science teachers at primary level not only to fill the gaping shortages that there are but also because if we do not put science education and ICT literacy on a sound footing right from the start of children's formal education, it will be that much more difficult to have students who specialise in the sciences and ICT when they come to choose what area they want to specialise in at University.

I, therefore, strongly urge the anonymous author of this commentary on education to read Labour's plan for education very closely before asking ill informed questions about whether we are committed or not to investing to ensure that Malta's education is truly world class at all levels.

Mr Abela is the Opposition's spokesman on Education.