Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday that apart from shaping the future of children, education shapes the country's future.

Speaking during his fifth meeting with the public, Dr Gonzi said there are 69,341 students aged up to 16 in state and non-government schools.

Education Minister Louis Galea said the country spent 6.5 per cent of the gross domestic product on education, more than the average of other EU countries where expenditure on education stood at 5.5 per cent.

Asked why the funds for the Foundation for Tomorrow's Schools were being cut every year, Dr Gonzi said that over a 10-year period the foundation will be spending Lm57 million on new projects.

Dr Gonzi said several people with a disability were achieving high levels in education, although they were faced with big challenges. This sector was important and millions of liri were being spent to employ facilitators.

He said a working group had just finalised a report on facilitators.

Amid concerns raised was the inability of children to go to school when a facilitator was absent. A pool of facilitators to replace those who were absent was suggested but Dr Gonzi said solutions had to be financially feasible.

Another working group was analysing absenteeism.

Other issues raised were the high level of stress children and students have to go through and the importance of a better means of assessing students.

A person with a hearing disability said the Equal Opportunities Act was being breached and that the Deaf People's Association was prepared to take the issue to court if it were not addressed by September. Dr Gonzi stressed the need for having a group of sign language interpreters.