Commentary

During last week's debate in Parliament on proposed amendments to the Education Act, Minister Giovanna Debono gave an overview of the improvements in the academic and infrastructure elements of the education sector in Gozo.

The minister pinpointed the substantial leap forward, registered in the number of students sitting for and passing their Junior Lyceum entrance exams and those sitting for MATSEC qualifications.

In 1995, 48.26 per cent of all students attending Year 6 (including those who decide not to sit for the exams) managed to obtain a pass mark in their Junior Lyceum exams. This rose to 59.3 per cent in 2005.

Meanwhile, only 49.47 per cent of students opting to sit for their Junior Lyceum entrance exams managed to obtain a pass mark in 1995, contrasting sharply with the 63.95 per cent of students who sat and passed the exams ten years later.

There was also an increase in the number of students who read the MATSEC course - a requirement to attempt a University of Malta course.

In the scholastic year 1998-1999, there were 345 Gozitan students at the Sir Mikelang Refalo Centre for Further Studies - in itself a figure of considerable note.

However, this scholastic year saw 470 students spread over the first and second years of the course, and therefore a 36 per cent increase in just seven years, while the previous academic year 2004-2005 saw a record number which topped 500 of Gozitan 16- and 17-year olds at the local sixth form.

Post-compulsory education in Gozo is also available at the MCAST centres in Xaghra and Xewkija and at the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS), which is currently operating temporarily from Xewkija while the Qala campus is rebuilt.

Both institutes have proved to be successful in Gozo, with MCAST initially starting off with one campus in 2002 and 66 full-time students. It is now offering courses to 195 full-time students and over 80 part-time students.

ITS has also seen a sharp rise since full-time courses were re-introduced in Gozo in 1999, after they were transferred to Malta under a Labour administration in 1997 and 1998. In its first year in 1999, only 12 students applied to follow full-time catering courses in Gozo. This is a stark contrast to the 37 students who are currently finishing off their academic year at ITS in Gozo, while another 11 students are studying part-time.

Simultaneously, there are over 830 Gozitan full-time students at the University of Malta, who Govern-ment is strongly assisting financially not only through the monthly stipend but also by means of a Gozitan student allowance of Lm50 per month balancing off the additional expenses Gozitan students incur while studying in Malta.

This extra allowance was increased by Lm35 per month in the last Budget, and has now been extended to Gozitan full-time students studying at other institutions, like MCAST and ITS in Malta.

Mrs Debono emphasised Government's commitment to provide quality education for everyone. She insisted that Government is giving much attention to this sector, making it one of the main priorities alongside the environment and the economy.

Mrs Debono said the government is also offering an all-time record number of courses on the island to promote lifelong learning. It has been successful - there are currently over 3,000 Gozitans who are over 16 and are following one of the several courses offered through the different centres of learning.

As far as the need for synergy between the educational area and the economy is concerned, the Ministry for Gozo has invested a portion of EU funds to organise courses that are specific to Gozo. The need for these courses was identified through the Special Needs Assessment Study for the Island of Gozo, commissioned by the European Commission before Malta's accession and to which both the Gozo Tourism Association and the Gozo Business Chamber provided ample suggestions and feedback.

More than 150 Gozitans are currently attending these free courses, which range from agriculture, e-commerce and IT, to environment planning, management, business studies, crafts and hospitality.

Apart from these, the ministry has also introduced specific schemes to promote employment in Gozo, particularly to the Graduate Scheme where a number of Gozitan graduates are currently being employed by Gozitan businesses for four years, with the scheme itself paying a part of the graduates' salary for the first two years. Given its success, Mrs Debono is planning to continue it in the years to come.

The crafts incubation centre, which will be built in Ghajnsielem, and the new training hotel, which will replace the previous ITS campus at Qala, are receiving EU funds and will also serve to link the educational and economic needs of the island.

Apart from the courses, schemes and academic achievements, Government is also working to improve the infrastructural side of schools as it believes that an uplifting environment helps the educational process.

Over the past eight years the Ministry for Gozo has invested over Lm1.5 million in several projects, including the very basic services such as upgrading of dilapidated sanitary facilities, the complete upgrading of electricity and drainage systems, and the installation of waterproofing on leaking roofs.

One cannot work miracles with Lm1.5 million but it has certainly managed to transform school environs in a short period of time.

The Gozo Ministry's embellishment project has also seen to better accessibility for students with disabilities, the closing off of externally-linking corridors, the replacement of apertures, the modernisation of school halls and the brightening up of classrooms through better use of natural light and colour.

But perhaps the Gozo educational sector's prize project is the introduction of a set of laboratories at Sir Mikelang Refalo Centre for Further Studies. These laboratories, inaugurated in November 2000 at the cost of Lm250,000, have finally provided the necessary set-up for students reading for science subjects at the local sixth form.

Before 2000, sixth formers had to use the facilities at the nearby Ninu Cremona Lyceum Complex, which was not only an unnecessary inconvenience to students and their teachers, but which also resulted in a substantial amount of wasted time, not to mention the unavailability of the laboratories at the secondary school when they were needed for the school's own classes.

The Gozo Ministry is currently adjudicating offers received for the complete upgrade of Xewkija primary school from this summer. This will also be another step forward as the school is expected to be completey revamped.

The education sector on the sister island has indeed seen significant improvements. We only hope that the momentum generated so far will continue to increase for the benefit of our children and future generations.