Caritas Director Mgr Victor Grech this evening called for greater emphasis on human values in the education system.

He said at an Evening of Solidarity at the residential drug rehabilitation centre in San Blas that the education system had improved in academic areas, but Malta also needed to raise young people who were steadfast in their values and responsible for their actions, young people who were able to work with others, who had clear ideals and who gave sense to their life.

The current mentality and culture was raising serious doubts on the value of the human person, the best use of freedom, the difference between right and wrong and the sense of life, he said.

Mgr Grech said that last year 664 young people made use of Caritas programmes and 445 attended sessions of the Family Service Unit.

Heroin was by far the primary drug of those who sought help, at 75 percent, followed by cannabis at 11.4 percent.

Just over 64 percent of those who called at Caritas had a secondary level of education, 10 percent had a higher level but only 2 percent had university standard. Indeed, Mgr Grech said, it was a pity that victims of drugs who had a higher level of education did not seek help.

He said that most of those who started the residential programme started noticing changes in their behavioural pattern after three months of care. Many of them thus felt they had overcome their problem and opted out of the programme, yet 85 percent of them ended up back at San Blas within six months.

There was a high success rate among those who completed their programme without interruption. In fact, half the staff at San Blas were former drug users.

He said Caritas would soon conduct anImpact/Needs Assessment of its programmes.

Thanks to support from the Voices Group, Caritas would also be setting up a Learning Centre within San Blas.

In expressing his concerns over the education system, Mgr Grech said comprehensive education should not only help students to seek the truth, but also to be prepared to suffer in order to stand by the truth. It was a major mistake when life was made too easy for young people, since they risked growing up weak and egoistic, he said.