There is consensus among educators on the need to help young people acquire more than just technical or academic skills in their school years.
Personal and social development (PSD) includes activities that improve the ability of people to develop their innate talents and potential, build human capital and improve their self esteem and identity. This should not only make them more employable but also enhance their quality of life and contribute to the realisation of their aspirations.
The Malta Personal and Social Development Association (MPSDA) wants to raise awareness on the importance of developing these ‘soft skills’. It notes that students at all levels “also require skills that further enhance their holistic well-being, quality of life and employability”.
Today, personal and social development is taught at primary and secondary schools but the MPSDA is arguing that this should be extended to post-secondary level. In fact, some courses offered by the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology and the Institute of Tourism Studies already include PSD in vocational educational courses. But often, PSD is not taught as a separate subject but is embedded in courses.
While there should be no dispute on the importance of promoting PSD in the education of young people, it remains debatable whether such education should be provided by specially qualified teaching staff “due to the subject’s delicate nature”. Some educators argue that the development of PSD is the responsibility of every trainer at all levels of the educational system.
Personal development is best achieved when the educational system is built on “methods, programmes, tools, techniques and assessment systems that support human development in the individual”. The system of embedding these elements in the curriculums of post-secondary and tertiary courses is likely to give better results than including PSD as a separate subject.
It must also be acknowledged that parents have a vital role to play in the development of PSD skills in young people. Many argue that the low achievement level of so many of our younger students can be attributed more to social ‘roadblocks’ rather than some intrinsic weakness in the educational system.
Students who come from a difficult family background often struggle to cope with the normal pressures of education.
Our educational leaders should therefore acknowledge the need for extra support to be given to these vulnerable students beyond providing formal or informal training in PSD skills.
It may be necessary to provide tailor-made programmes for students coming from a difficult programme to help them overcome the tough challenges they face.
At primary, secondary and post-secondary levels more learning support assistants may be needed to help students with all sorts of learning difficulties, some of which may be caused by the family environment certain students live in.
Improving the employability of young people remains the main aim of any educational system. A young person who is unemployed because s/he lacks the necessary hard and soft skills is evidence of a failed educational system.
While not every student has the same ability to reach the highest levels of educational achievement, everyone has the potential to be a worthy citizen contributing to the upkeep of his/her family and the good of society.
Helping young people to develop their full human potential should be the main aim of the educational system.