Investment in education in Malta is slightly above EU average. But the return on this investment often leaves much to be desired. While high educational achievement is one of the outcomes policymakers look for when judging the results of their investment, there are other aspects including cost effectiveness that need to be gauged to understand whether the expenditure on educational resources is really giving the desired results.

The major elements of expenditure in any educational system relate to staff costs and the expense to build and maintain the physical infrastructure, that is, schools. Educators argue on the optimal level of student-to-teacher ratio as this could affect the quality of the teaching in schools. But some misconceptions need to be debunked if the public is to really be in a position to judge whether the amount of money the country spends on educating our children is indeed optimal.

The National Audit Office has just published an interesting report that highlights the discrepancies that exist between different parts of the Maltese islands on the use of resources in our primary school educational system. Some astonishing figures were revealed in this report – figures that call for a thorough rationalising exercise in the use of our educational resources.

A pupil attending the San Lawrenz primary school in Gozo costs the taxpayer €9,162, while in a larger normal school such a cost would go down to €2,660. Thirty of 68 State primary schools have a student population below 200. This led to five out of the 30 schools operating an average class size below 20 students.

Besides the issue of cost, the NSO report concludes that “a classroom with a relatively low number of students is not only uneconomical but does not seem to contribute towards improving students’ academic attainment”. Yet, some schools have far too many students and are operating “at full capacity”.

The report concludes rather meekly that “any initiative to rationalise class size in State primary schools is hindered by the historical practice of maintaining a primary school in every town and village”. Put simply in the jargon of management restructuring, there is great resistance to change. When the country as a whole is committed to make the best use of financial and physical resources, the NSO report could have been bolder in recommending an urgent rationalising plan by the educational authorities to reduce this waste of resources.

When educational staff and physical resources are rationalised there should be no fear of staff redundancies or buildings left to rot because they are no longer needed for schooling purposes. Our imagination is the only limiting factor that can keep us from coming up with creative solutions to utilise free human and physical resources resulting from a rationalisation of our primary school system.

For instance, we need to start tackling urgently the education needed for immigrants who speak no English or Maltese but who are likely to make Malta their second home. If these immigrants are to become an integral part of Maltese society we must start by giving them the educational skills that they need to start feeling that they are valid productive members of our community. Why not start by using underutilised schools in our towns and villages to give these immigrants the tools they need to integrate in our society?

Moreover, our older citizens would also benefit if they are provided with life enriching activities in unutilised schools to lead an active life in their old age.

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