Education from a different perspective

The clock is ticking for the thousands of students who, after almost three months of beaches, sea and laying about, will once again return to their classes for another year of lessons, examinations, peer and parent pressure and all that which has come to be associated with schools and education in general. Actually, for some students in private and church schools vacation time ended earlier.

As a person involved in politics, I usually look at the education sector from an official point of view - the investment in this sector pumped by Government on behalf of the taxpayer, the building of new schools, the education reform or the reform in inclusive education. What perhaps we, including myself, sometimes fail to speak about, is how whatever we are doing or not doing in this sector is affecting the end users and how it is perceived by parents and students. Probably sometimes we overlook a number of issues that go straight to the top of parents' list of priorities, very often to our surprise.

Let's take as an example the reform in the public education sector particularly the setting up of the 10 colleges incorporating all the primary and secondary schools in Malta. Undoubtedly, this was a very a much needed move which, I am sure, will reap positive results within the next few years.

To bring this reform to fruition government needed to embark on an ambitious programme of school-building to ensure that within the next few years all the ten colleges would have secondary schools for boys and girls incorporating what until now is known as the junior lyceum.

The problem lies with the unavoidable time-frame within which this reform could be completed. For the parents of a boy who failed the junior lyceum examination and the re-sit, which was held for the first time this year, the prospect of sending their child to an area secondary school which has not been affected by the reform as yet, is simply a non-starter. They fear that once their child, who only got a fail in English, goes to an area secondary school in the traditional sense, he or she will be lost forever.

The problem is that there is little we could do about the situation until the reform is completed. But this is no consolation to such parents. Sometimes it's a matter of perception. Sometimes it's an unfortunate reality.

Every year I, like other politicians, have to face parents whose son or daughter fail to make it to MCAST. Their sorrow tends to get deeper whenever they watch the news or read in newspapers how many students are admitted to this progressive institution and how these students' prospects of getting a job after they finish their course are quite high thanks to the good reputation this institution has within industry.

I feel very frustrated when such parents tell me that their son or daughter failed to make it simply because the courses applied for become over-subscribed. I sympathise with parents who worry that their son or daughter's failure to take up an MCAST course of their preference would have a bearing on their morale leading them to abandon their studies. Probably, we still need to work around such situations to ensure that whoever wants to keep studying is not hindered by any obstacle.

On a totally different note, there are other issues, as seen from a parents' perspective, which do put additional pressure on families with young children. Improvements in standards come at a cost. School children attending government schools are today asked to wear polished uniforms matched by other accessories such as PE kits. This was definitely the direction we had to take to ensure that the standards of government schools are raised. It should be pointed out that the educational authorities do ask schools not to make parents by school items which are not sanctioned by them.

This is usually meant to keep costs incurred by parents at a very realistic level. The overall image of these schools has definitely improved. But it is a fact that parents are forking out more money in the process. Of course, I have to mention parents who send their children to church or private schools who in addition to uniforms have to buy text books, pay a donation or a fee, pay for transport and so on.

Mentioning text books I could not leave out a cursory mention of a particular bookshop which this year decided to improve its business by promising buyers fancy prizes if an amount of money is spent at their shop. The problem does not lie with such a scheme but with the failure of such a shop to deliver what was promised to those who spent hundreds of euro in textbooks and other items.

Perhaps it's high time that the Consumer Affairs Division takes action against such gimmicks which adds to the frustration of parents who at this time of the year are normally totally focused on settling whatever is needed for their sons and daughters.

Finally, I need to mention another matter which has been on mind for quite some time. Schools should realize that we are living in the 21^st century where most parents earn a living by working and not through any other means. The implication of this is that it is not always possible for these parents to attend meetings or school activities during the day. At least Government managed to include the possibility of holding parents days in the evening in government schools in the 2007 agreement with MUT.

Worse still I cannot understand how some church schools seem to come up with extra holidays under the guise of seminars for teachers and the school management. Moreover, Asking children not to attend schools whenever a junior lyceum exam is taking place or whenever meeting with parents are on, should be a thing of the past. We are now living a different reality.

charlo.bonnici@gov.mt