Nationalist backbencher Beppe Fenech Adami yesterday launched a fierce onslaught on the opposition’s record in education, saying that those who in the 1970s and 1980s were members of the Labour government, which restricted entry into the University, fought the Church schools and locked out teachers when they went on strike, were still on the opposition benches today.

Dr Fenech Adami was one of six government members who yesterday took up the whole 150 minutes of the parliamentary session’s debate in second reading of the Education (Amendment) Bill. Each commented on the opposition’s stand that although it agreed with the Bill, it would still vote against it. Dr Fenech Adami described this attitude as “scandalous”.

The government believed everyone had the ability to learn and organised structures to make this right effective. Parents of children with special needs acknowledged the government’s investment in providing Learning Support Assistants.

This year alone the government invested €359 million in education in contrast with European governments’ cutting down on education costs. A new school was being built every year.

Dr Fenech Adami said 11,000 students were attending 786 different courses at the University which this year had a budget of nearly €50 million.

Thousands of others were attending 130 different full-time and other part-time courses at Mcast where the government was committed to building a new complex. The opposition was only saying that it would build new premises. All these students were receiving stipends.

More than 600 students were studying in tourism-related courses at ITS. Other students benefitted from scholarships.

Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli said that with the opposition declaring it would vote against the Bill, it was clear that it had a craving for power at all costs. Such a vote would not affect the government but children.

Speaking on early school leavers, Mr Puli said that 73 per cent of students pursued their studies after secondary education. The government was striving to increase this rate.

Students in post-secondary education in 1999 were only 43 per cent. This had increased by 30 per cent. At present, there were 6,000 full-time and 4,000 part-time students at Mcast.

The university still faced problems as a result of previous Labour governments. The Sant government’s decision on stipends did not augur well for higher education. The opposition was still tempted to do away with stipends as evidenced by MEP Edward Scicluna’s statement that stipends were not sustainable and that they did not exist in any other country.

On the other hand, stipends under PN governments increased from €19 million in 2005 to €23 million this year. The government wanted to increase stipends.

It had also awarded 1,500 scholarships, some of which were related to music, dance and sport.

The government, he said, would spend a record sum of €330 million on education.

Trickery voting, he said, was not beneficial if one was to achieve success in education.

Chiarló Bonnici said the Bill was a result of widespread consultation, including with the opposition. People who would have worked at their jobs for years but without formal certification would finally be recognised for what they stood for.

The employment and education sectors went together because one was the end result of the other, as recent employment results had shown. The widespread reforms that had been launched were certainly not perfect, but they had made for success. Of particular interest were developments in higher education.

It had been obvious that the opposition was in agreement with the Bill, so it had come as a shock that its spokesman had then said it would be voting against on the pretext that it was a money Bill. The opposition’s negative vote would make no difference to the government, but it would to the up-and-coming student population.

Mr Bonnici said other reforms, including the Council for the Education Profession, the benchmarking system instead of a competitive exam at the age of 11, lifelong learning, the Malta Qualifications Council, collaboration among the university, Mcast and ITS, and courses tailored to the country’s needs, would lead to greater success in the educational sector.

• Joe Falzon, Frerick Azzopardi and Philip Mifsud also spoke in the debate.