A couple of days ago I found a gem hidden among the news items. I say hidden, because it was buried as part of a bigger story about whether or not Malta has too many LSAs (Learning Support Assistants) or not.
Since I’m not qualified to give an educated opinion about how many LSAs a country this size would need, I won’t – though I would have thought the issue is a simple one of supply and demand, much like all the other professions.
I will, however, express an opinion about whether children should spend longer hours at school in order to solve the problems that having two working parents can lead to. This is what the Malta Employers’ Association and the Ministry of Finance seem to be suggesting here.
My reaction? Is everyone going crazy? For starters, since when are the Malta Employers’ Association and the Ministry of Finance qualified to give advice regarding educational matters? I would have thought that the scope of their expertise lies in an altogether different direction.
Secondly, do we really want to continue raising a nation of zombie children who can only function within the pre-set parameters of a scholastic framework?
As things stand, we are raising children who believe that the key to success is learning by rote and sitting for exams.
Children who find it difficult to express their individuality in a functional way.
Children with lazy imaginations whose creative streak has long being killed.
Children who, despite an educational framework that (to all intents and purposes) appears to be a strong one, don’t really excel academically either.
If you think this generalisation is too wide, all you need to do is look at the performance of the majority of Maltese school-leavers. The current educational system is certainly not encouraging students to reach their full potential, both academically and as human beings. And our solution is to bring on more of that. Nice one, Mr Government.
Of course, it is a reality that working parents often have a problem filling up after-school hours in a way that is useful, fulfilling and pocket-friendly. Yes, the latter is important too.
It is not a dilemma that can be solved easily. Other countries are still struggling to come up with a workable solution that works for all parties concerned. Longer school hours – even if said hours involve non-academic activities – are not it. You just do not lock up a child in one building for close to ten hours a day without repercussions.
The possibilities are endless. Child-care, sport, dance, theatre, music... a system of government subsidies would make all this viable. And we can’t underestimate the importance of fostering a flexi-hour and tele-working culture. Why this has not caught on in professions that allow for it is beyond me.
But the right solution is certainly not the facile one being suggested by the Malta Employers’ Association and the Ministry of Finance.