It may have taken budding electrical engineer Johnathan Debono, who has intellectual disabilities, a few extra years to graduate, but no number of challenges will affect his thirst for learning, he says.

The 27-year-old is close to completing the Higher National Diploma course in electrical engineering after nine years of studying at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology.

“After not getting the A levels needed to join the diploma course, I started the year-long foundation course. After that came the national diploma course and now I’m close to completing the higher national diploma,” said Mr Debono.

As a young boy, the student – who was diagnosed with a number of intellectual disabilities as well as a speech impairment at the age of five – was uninterested in any form of schooling. To this day, he insists, he has always been very upfront about his disabilities, he said, adding he was not one to shy away from his issues but rather always fought hard to tackle them.

At the age of five, he was moved to a centre for students with special needs, where with the help of trained professionals, he slowly started to show a willingness to learn.

I’m definitely going to try and get my degree. I’m not done learning

“I almost failed a final exam, but my parents were pushing me to try harder and work harder. Before I knew it, I somehow fellin love with learning,” recalled Mr Debono.

While admitting he sometimes struggled to string sentences together due to his speech impairment, he said he wanted to speak out about his experiences to inspire others with similar ones.

And while he encouraged others to follow in his footsteps, Mr Debono admitted the years he spent at Mcast were not always easy, with long hours often spent after school working to keep up with the rest of the class.

“I go to one-on-one, private lessons, because at school, it’s not always possible to get that sort of attention,” he said, pointing out that teachers at Mcast were very supportive and offered extra attention when possible.

Yet while singing the praises of his lecturers, Mr Debono insisted that he believed not enough was being done to support those students with disabilities who wanted to pursue tertiary education. While some might need specific assistance, others would only require extra attention. “Like me, I only need that little extra support. The rest I can do myself,” he said.

Now close to the finish line – he is working on his last project, a coin sorter – Mr Debono shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. After getting a taste of working life during a month-long work placement in Belgium, the student wants to work as an electrical engineer for a few years before once again hitting the books.

“I plan on finding a job and working hard to gain some experience, but then I’m definitely going to try to get my degree. I’m not done learning.”