Another Brick In The Wall was Pink Floyd’s answer to rigid schooling in the United Kingdom. The song, released in 1979, would eventually become a protest song for all students in Malta in the 1980s deprived of a higher education or beaten up by special forces for daring to do what students worldwide have always done – demonstrate and voice their opinion!
Never have students had it so good. Their entire educational progress has the rubberstamp of all the successes of Nationalist administrations
For a student in 1980s, Malta was traumatic. The experience certainly moulded a tough generation of youths but sadly also left us with many regrets, disappointments and bitter experiences. We were young and thought the world was our oyster. Enthusiasm, creativity, raging hormones and a sense of rebellion all helped us survive historic times lived under an unforgiving Socialist regime determined to ensure that we did not progress. It was a time when Labour in government experimented with Education...and this to our detriment.
I believe it all started with the fallout between Prime Minister Dom Mintoff and the Church. The domino effect of this left us children and our parents all stupefied as we saw our Church schools being closed down, many of us just as we were about to take important exams.
I wonder if any of today’s students know what it feels like to beunable to return to school and to have to continue their schooling in the kitchen of a benevolent teacher always assuaged by fear of being found out!
Education was certainly not a student’s right at the time and decisions were taken according to Labour’s convenience rather than with the students’ welfare in mind. Political relations with Libya instigated the shock introduction of compulsory teaching of Arabic in all secondary schools. Failure to hit this mark would have prevented us from entering Sixth Form, now Junior College.
While learning a new language should always be commended, the absolute bulldozer techniques of the time left us with no choice but to quickly try and grasp this new foreign language taught by Libyan teachers brought in especially for the purpose. Extra lessons in private homes were the rage as students tried to cram information in the afternoons that simply was not forthcoming in the mornings.
The pressure was on and this was exacerbated by the fact that being unable to progress academically meant entry into a dismal adult world where unemployment, depression and lack of opportunity were the norm.
Clearing secondary school, students were faced with extra obstacles to continue their studies. Labour’s policy on education was to control as much as possible the number of students entering university and hence we had to face an unfair 20 point admission system and the infamous ‘sponsor’ which basically meant that unless you had the right political endorsement you still could not A-fly yourself into a University course. Courses were extremely limited with no guarantee of availability.
Stipends? What stipends? You would have spent the entirety of your two-year sixth form or five-year university course dedicating half of your academic year to your studies while working the other half as part of a pupil/student worker scheme. During your work scheme, apart from regretting your severe knowledge gap, you would be assigned to a government department to basically contribute as a full-time employee while being remunerated with a pittance!
This was my youth peppered by violent demonstrations at Msida and Tal-Qroqq where in answer to our peaceful demonstrations, Labour responded by sending in members of the Special Mobile Unit to beat us up!
The difference between class 1980s and class 2013 is dizzying. The absolute commitment of the Nationalist government to continue investing in education and opportunities for our children is invigorating and at the same time enviable. Never have students had it so good. Their entire educational progress has the rubberstamp of all the successes of Nationalist administrations.
Labour simply won’t work in the education and employment sectors and a cold, brutal reminder of this was felt during the short 1996-98 Labour administration when students were once again stripped of their stipends.
If you are a student, if your children, grandchildren or nieces/nephews are students you will appreciate that this is simply not the time to play Russian roulette with their future.
Neighbouring countries are sending us important messages and it is our duty to listen and to ensure we offer continuity to our students. On March 9 vote for the party who has a proven track record in guaranteeing the best education and work opportunities for our future generations.
Voting Nationalist is a vote to ensure a knowledge-based society for tomorrow’s world.
info@carolinegalea.com
Caroline Galea is a PN candidate on the fourth and sixth districts.