A government’s third Budget is usually the most intriging one. The norm dictates that the first two budgets are tax-heavy and deliver bad news. The third Budget is hit and miss while the last two, gearing up to the general election, are usually the ‘now we bear the fruits of our sacrifices’ type.
This legislature was different.
This government’s first two budgets, much to the dismay of some of our opponents, were very forward-looking and positive budgets.
They encapsulated the mentality of this government’s wayof looking at things differently, with a broader perspective and with optimism.
In the past, others would have looked at things like free childcare as a heavy cost, a free service that would put pressure on the public coffers.
But we saw it as an opportunity, because that allowed more people to get into work. The initiative was not seen as a cost but in the context of the broader value it creates.
We are now in a situation where the number of women in employment has increased by five per cent in two years and where the childcare initiative is paying for itself.
The in-work benefit operates along the same lines.
Not working should not be an option presented to many; there have to be incentives to work. Making work pay was no marketing tagline. It was the idea behind these initiatives.
It widens the income divide between not working and working, because in the past it was narrow, demotivating people into idleness. These measures make it worthwhile and, through the fiscal incentives seen in this Budget and previous ones, many workers are getting added boosts to their pay cheques.
Working is more attractive and staying at home is now seen as a non-starter.
The truth is the Opposition has to do what it does but any criticism of the policies unveiled on Monday will invariably fall flat for the simple reason that they make a lot of sense. This feeling, in various shapes and forms, was also expressed by the constituted bodies in their initial reactions after the Budget speech.
The education sector is part of this fresh perspective of doing things differently, which is why we have seen financial increases on many levels with new and important initiatives.
All the goodwill in the world can only achieve so much without financial backing
Helping a young person continue his or her studies does not just make sense on a human level, it makes a lot of sense on an economic one, too.
The education policies we have introduced in recent years are paving the way for more youths to have a shot at being the best they can be.
However, many of these measures, such as increasing the number of books in schools or building new and better facilities, cost a lot, and under the previous government the poetry in the campaigning often didn’t match the prose in governing.
Things are now different.
We have increased budgets across the board and we can only do this because of a strong economy. While education line items are (unwillingly) brought down considerably in some European neighbours and much to the dismay of my European colleagues, we are experienc-ing even more investment in this sector.
Later today, I’ll be in familiar surroundings at the inauguration of the new Faculty of Media and Knowledge Sciences – another deliverable in the University’s master plan, which will take this education institution to a whole new level.
European Union funding helps in big infrastructure regeneration but this type of long-term planning always incurs a substantial cost on national funding.
The economy is doing itsbit, which puts even greaterpressure on the implentation part, to deliver inventive and successful policies.
We are getting there, through the introduction of focused initiatives, but, ultimately, all the goodwill in the world can only achieve so much without financial backing.
Through a stronger economy the financial injections in this sector are helping us lay the building blocks for a better education system.
Evarist Bartolo is Minister for Education and Employment.