The government has pledged to make its utmost to give today’s young people the best opportunities possible to encourage them to continue their studies beyond the compulsory age. The commitment goes further and, today, so many young, and not so young, people choose to move beyond a first degree and aim for Masters and doctorates.

After opening up the University to those who have the necessary qualifications to pursue a career of their choice and after setting up the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology, which has effectively meant that more young people are seeking to obtain a better education before they find a job, we are now also offering post-graduate scholarships in specialised areas.

In the last five years, over 1,000 graduates have been given scholarships under the Malta Government Scholarship Scheme and the STEPS (Strategic Educational Pathways Scholarships) scheme. Each year, the number of applications increases as more and more students realise the potential of obtaining post-graduate degrees. They know that, through their studies, they are investing in a better future for themselves and their families.

In 2006, the first year that such an initiative was made available, 33 students were awarded a scholarship. But the number rose to 71 in 2007, 207 in 2008, 351 in 2009 and 445 this year. This year, for the first time ever, 13 students earned scholarships in a category that was wholly dedicated to the arts.

The Nationalist Party has always believed that, without a solid education system, the country cannot move forward. In the last 23 years, successive Nationalist governments have rebuilt the sector, constantly reforming it to better meet the demands of an ever-changing world. We have always considered education as the cornerstone of our society and, as such, we have always worked with one aim in mind: That of providing each and every young person with the possibility of developing his or her talents, whatever they are.

Measures taken over the past years – such as the establishment of the college system, the heavy investment in new government schools, the reform in the transition between primary and secondary schools and the strengthening of the stipend system for University students – were intended to provide a more comprehensive way of learning and, at the same time, encourage more students not to abandon their studies once they are 16.

Now, with the scholarship schemes that we have set up, we are going further than that. As explained in the MGSS prospectus, post-graduate education forms an increasingly important part of any country’s economic and social agenda. It is a key element in lifelong learning. For this purpose, the scholarship schemes aim at providing more opportunities to promote further specialisation at higher levels of education, particularly at a Masters and doctoral level. The next step is to go for post-doc studies.

Malta relies heavily on its human resources and, unless we invest in our education, it will become increasingly difficult for us to remain competitive. Countries which, until a few years ago, were considered to be less developed than European nations are catching up fast and this will only make things more difficult for a small country such as ours to keep up the pace.

As our industrial sector continues to move from one that depended mostly on low-end manufacturing to one that is based on top-quality, high-end industry, we must invest in people who will be able to foresee developments and provide the solutions to meet changing needs.

The government’s declared policy is to make Malta a centre of excellence in areas such as education, health, ICT, tourism and the environment and it is with this in mind that priority has been given to students willing to take up post-graduate courses in these specialised sectors.

Climate change, food quality, development of human genetics, digital manufacturing, microelectronics and science-society studies are only a few of the areas that, we feel, our graduates should be offered the chance to specialise in.

This is the way forward. Investing in our human resources is the only way that will enable us to succeed in the cut-throat situation we are living in today.

The author is Minister for Education, Employment and the Family.