I have been teaching for nearly a decade and can’t help but notice the quick pace of change in our education system.

I am one of those educators who have serious doubts about these changes. I am not against the idea of mixed ability classes but the fundamental problem in education is not being tackled.

What is that fundamental problem? I believe it is the general lack of interest, which seems to be contagious and growing by the minute.

In any classroom there are always those individuals who are not interested in learning. But while they may have been few about 10 years ago, now it seems they are in the majority. Any teacher knows it is impossible to teach someone not interested in the subject; a case of taking the horse to water but being unable to make it drink.

What is causing the general lack of interest?

The quality of life has improved and most youngsters are brought up in relatively well-off families, given everything they need and want. Most children also spend long hours with grandparents who are not expected to say no to their grandchildren.

So life is quite easy for these children. They have never had to work hard to get what they want. How can one expect interest from such a generation? Deep down they don’t even fully understand the need to go to school.

Another group of children is from families facing problems, such as financial, that put them under unusual stress. As a result, they often suffer from low self-esteem and sometimes react by rebelling against everything and everyone. As a result, they do not take their education seriously either.

On the other hand, when these children come to school, they find a restricted environment where teachers tell them what to do or not to do, something they are not used to.

Another important factor is that most of our youngsters spend hours on their computer or smartphone, in a fantasy world far removed from the reality in which they live.

Moreover, the time parents find to spend with their children is often after a day’s work or early in the morning. At this time of day, most parents lack the stamina and will to make the tree grow straight when it’s still young, as the saying goes.

Discipline is needed everywhere human beings are present. It is like the oil in an engine –without oil the engine will jam. By discipline I do not mean corporal punishment. What I am talking about is the boundaries that need to be respected for a civilised society to function properly.

I am not blaming anyone for the current situation. But our education system needs to adapt not just with cosmetic changes but with a totally different approach.

Up to a few years ago, one of the fundamental goals of education was the preparation of students for further studies, to produce enough professionals to meet the needs of society. This approach was valid for those days because most of our families were rather stable and life was much simpler.

Now, however, considering that life has become so complex and so many families are facing difficulties, the fundamental goal of education should be an education for life, rather than for further studies. The latter approach is not wrong but it is inadequate for our present situation.

Our education system needs to become a preparation for life rather than a preparation for further studies

We are perhaps too obsessed with what we would like our children to learn rather than with what their needs and natural talents are. Is our education too academic? What would have happened if Mozart or Einstein had attended our schools? They would surely have been considered poor performers, simply because they don’t fit into our agenda.

Our education system tends to value only one category of the many talents that human beings are gifted with. For the first time Malta has a school that provides opportunities to students interested in sport. This idea, instead of being the exception, and catering only to the few, should be the way forward for our education system.

I propose that a serious study be undertaken of the real nature of a good basic curriculum which, while supporting the intellectual development of our students, also serves as a good preparation for their future. Looking back on our own education we can surely say that a lot of time and energy were wasted on things we never made use of in life.

Education cannot focus only on what adults would like children to learn. A good education system would uncover the interests and talents of each individual. Another reason our students are suffering from a general lack of interest is that schools suffocate their natural instincts and talents – the source of energy needed to instill interest in what they learn.

Sometimes we may need to instill an interest in something that may not initially interest them. However, we cannot expect our children to ignore their own interests and divert their attention to something we have made up for them.

So a good holistic curriculum would be one that presents a mixture of what our students like and are interested in and what we think is good for them. If we continue to suppress the natural talents of our young generation we will end up with zombies rather than free human beings.

I suggest a radical change in the system, from one that teaches what educators decide to one that is more student focused, values each student’s individuality, takes into consideration the family background and concentrates on the talents the student is born with in art, sports, drama, trades, and so on. Only in this way would a mixed ability setting work.

How would such a system function?

First, as I have already said, a study needs to be carried out on devising a curriculum – catering all the way from primary grades to sixth form – that would not be overly academic.

Each school should host a team of counsellors to help students build their self-esteem and discover their talents. Each student should see a counsellor at least once a month. The tendency to associate counselling only with people with problems is over; our society needs to be helped to change its mentality about counselling. Counselling rooms should not to be considered just as clinics but as gyms, where people are helped to get healthier and live better lives.

Schools should be of a medium size, to ensure one-to-one attention. If they are too small, it is difficult to have all the resources needed to provide a good education. Also, the cost per student would rise.

The primary years should mainly be focused on literacy. Child counsellors should help the students get to know themselves, discover what they like, build up their self-esteem, find out their talents and face any other important issues.

Parents should become more involved in the education of their children and helped to do so when necessary. Schools should be promoted as places of further education for parents. One cannot expect children to perform well if they come from an environment that damages their personality.

The first two years of secondary school should continue to focus on the basic curriculum. Students should be introduced to the different possibilities offered to them from Form II upwards. Again the need of personal follow-up and help from counsellors and guidance teachers should be stressed. Perhaps it would be preferable for Forms I and II to be separated from the rest of secondary school, as I believe is already being done in some schools.

The last three years of secondary education and sixth form should be combined so students would continue to follow both the basic curriculum as well as their own particular area of interest, be it in the sciences, languages, art and drama, sports, trades, and so on. Why shouldn’t schools produce professional carpenters who are also well trained in safety, mechanics and car electronics? I believe this is the only way our system can provide a quality education for all.

I hope this article helps contribute to a discussion on the best education system for our future generations.

■ Fr Edward Vella taught for nine years at the Gozo Seminary up to last year. He is now a parish priest in Scotland.