A new Labour government will listen to teachers and work hand in hand with them for a realistic national minimum curriculum that really counts to be drawn up, Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this morning.
Speaking during a political activity at Mellieha, Dr Muscat appealed to the government to listen to what teachers were saying and revise the curriculum now that it was still in time. The opposition, he promised, would help.
However, if it was not amended to reflect what those who had to implement it wanted, this would be done by the new government soon after taking over.
"We cannot experiment with children and change things haphazardly.
"We are in favour of change but our children cannot be the guinea pigs of a system drawn up by people in an office without any consultation with the people who have to operate it on the ground."
Dr Muscat said that according to MUT published research, four out of every five teachers did not feel they were seriously consulted on the curriculum reform.
"The disastrous effect a bad curriculum can have on future generations cannot be calculated," Dr Muscat warned.
He said that as a policy maker and as a father, he was greatly concerned with the MUT's statement and expected clear answers from the government.
The Labour leader noted that there were still children in Malta who were leaving the education system not knowing how to read and write in Maltese and English.
"We want to ensure social mobility where all children have the chance to be successful in life."
Decisions had to be taken more democratically by experts - those who had to face classes daily.
Malta also had to strengthen its language abilities. It had to again give English its due importance and stress the importance of knowing a third language well, giving Maltese children an advantage. The country also had to strengthen sciences.
The Labour leader also spoke on the importance of competitiveness and said that a new Labour government would not be a risk or an experiment.
"It will be safe for the country. It will bring about change but there will be stability."
This week, the Opposition relived its call of Malta first and foremost by taking the more difficult route of expressing willingness to support the government in the interest of the country.
Following the European summit, the government and the opposition agreed to draft constitutional amendments to ensure fiscal discipline.
Both sides agreed on flexibility in the national interest, that the common consolidated tax base was unacceptable for Malta and that the financial services transaction tax would be agreed to only if it was introduced globally.
Dr Muscat said that Labour promised its support against these two important conditions.
However, he said, no deficit solution could be realistic without economic growth. It seemed that European leaders had not yet realised this.
Dr Muscat said that the PL was the most pro-business party in Malta. The only way of creating wealth was by having the business sector as its partner, encouraging initiative and giving it red carpet treatment to help it expand.
The country, he said, needed new methods of management which merged ideals with what practicality and politics with technique.