Changing times and families

The times, they are a-changing. Changing very fast indeed. How else can one explain statistics that say that Malta has the highest rate of secondary schoolchildren who live with just one biological parent? We may question, and should question, the statistic that shows a drastic shift in a very short four-year span, from eight per cent to 37.5 per cent in less than half a decade. It is, undoubtedly, a vertiginously steep climb, placing us at the top of a 41-country listing.

Would statistics for primary schoolchildren reveal an even higher figure?

The physiognomy of the Maltese family has altered radically in a very short while in more ways than one. The extended family living in the same locality, if not in the same street, or, better still, in the same house, has dwindled away. Nanna and Nannu are no longer the central figures as in days of yore. That is not to say that Malta is not blessed with large, supportive families where inter-generational bonding is still very strong and where family members are there for one another, not only in times of need but every day. But it isn't the same anymore... and has not been the same for some time now.

The vital question here is: What does all this mean to our children? In all probability teachers are best equipped to provide the answer as they daily interact with the young in schools. They are the ones who are in constant contact with the 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds behind the statistic that has shocked so many.

Today we speak of behavioural problems, of several behavioural problems in schools that are very often a manifestation of family problems coming to the surface. The anger, the hurt and the frustrations are obviously carried into the classroom and vented there.

We seem to be topping so many negative lists these days. We have the second highest figure for child obesity. Our under 15s love their drink but this, fortunately, this does not translate into a high rate of alcoholism. And yet, in another international survey we were the nation that emerged as being the most satisfied and the happiest with its lot. I find this so very hard to reconcile. A generational anomaly?

What is obvious is that we need to shed some of our traditional perceptions and face the reality full front. We might still choose to believe that it is not as bad as the given statistics make it out to be but we must see that it is certainly different, so very different.

Which is why the news that the Church has decided to review its religious teaching in schools is very good news indeed. Four years of hard slog have resulted in a 42-pager that take us through the rationale for the need to change, outline the present situation of religious education in this country and move on to a vision for the future. The signs of the times are analysed and the challenges in an increasingly pluralistic society identified. Those are the easy parts.

The question that begs itself is: What is the role of religious education in today's world? But there is a more crucial, underlying second question: Is there need for religious education in today's world? The document answers both, without any pretensions to divine knowledge.

Religious education should be a tool that empowers students to develop fully to be able to face the challenges of life, be they personal or societal. It should be there to help the student understand what life is all about, to guide him/her in the development of healthy relations, to lead to a better understanding of oneself and of others. It should lead to an appreciation of national culture and identity. A holistic approach.

The document places emphasis on diversity and on respect for diversity. The need for the development of new syllabi and methods that are more relevant to today's world and to today's communities is strongly emphasised. The teachings and the teachers require a new relevance that is in tune with an increasingly individualistic lifestyle that seems to move hand in hand with an expanding economy.

Some things do remain constant. The annual Pope John XX111 Award for Kindness never fails to be a moving event. The well-scrubbed, well-behaved eight-year-olds from St Benedict's College who won the much-coveted award this year for cosseting and loving their classmate, Felio, have put solidarity into practice.

It is a lesson well learnt in childhood which they will carry through in life. Felio is no burden, no setback but a part of life that needs to be nurtured and looked after. And they do it so well.

In a recent survey, Malta emerged as frontrunner in inclusive education. Something for us all to be proud of indeed.

Mrs Cristina is Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.