An entire revolution is needed within the education system, according to author Audrey Friggieri, who is best known for a series of children’s books featuring  fictional heroine Ms Ambrożja in the role of a teacher who teaches by adventure.

Audrey Friggieri

Ms Friggieri said that while many educators were doing great work, the curriculum is “fragmented and artificial, with teaching and learning often taking place exclusively on a theoretical level”.

Her latest book, Qabża f’Dinja Oħra mill-Klassi, in fact deals with themes of leadership and politics that the writer hopes will stimulate class discussion about the qualities of a good leader; how leadership is foisted on some when they are not keen on it; and when it is appropriate to remove a leader.

Ms Friggieri, who is an assistant school head by profession, insisted that the current system keeps pupils too “safely cocooned from the real life out there”, despite the fact that teachers are meant to be preparing students for the challenges of real life.

“Schools need to function in tandem with the world out there but this would entail a revolution in the way we do education. Thinking, problem-solving, self-care, debating and public speaking, for example... these are all skills that should be prioritised over endless memorising of content that students will never use once the examination is over.”

Such a thing [students protesting] would be unthinkable on this tiny island of ours

And, while she acknowledges that schools could never catch up with the speed at which progress happens, she believes that a “paradigm shift to linking theory with transformative action” is required.

Audrey Friggieri’s latest book, Qabża f’Dinja Oħra mill-Klassi.

“This would help students understand that they too have a voice, and that it can make a difference in the world. As educators, we need to help them become aware of their duty and power to act in the world for the common good,” Ms Friggieri continued, referring to iconic images of students protesting on the streets of Europe to draw the attention of the powers that be to the dire state of the environment as an example.

“Such a thing would be unthinkable on this tiny island of ours. People would immediately interpret it as offensive act by a rival political party. We have a long way to go,” she acknowledged.

The Miss Ambrożja series of books, by Merlin Publishers, reveal her frustration at this educational status quo, in a direct reaction to what she sees happening in today’s schools and her own recollections of  “having to sit still in a classroom, with the teacher droning on and on”.

“I believe educators have a duty towards learners to ignite their minds. We need reflective, responsible and assertive citizens if we want to get nearer to making democracy work,” she concluded.