You assumed the office of the Minister for Education and Employment seven months ago. What have your main focuses been since then?
Our main challenge from just after my appointment was to ensure that our children’s future was not thwarted by COVID-19. It was a leaning curve for all stakeholders and we have risen to the challenge by working together – parents, students, teachers and administrators – so that nobody gets left behind.
To do this, fostering this spirit of dialogue and engagement was my first priority. This experience has also been a wake-up call for investing in the IT sector and to perceive education as a lifelong process that is not restricted to schools, but engages the whole community.
We also remain committed to continue the journey of reform, which is based on the premise of an education system geared towards the individual needs and aspirations of students and not a one-size-fits-all model.
The Education portfolio is an incredibly important one as it shapes the citizens of tomorrow. What does this mean to you as Minister for Education and Employment?
Education is the best path to ensure equal opportunities for all so it is a Ministry which looks firmly towards the future. We cannot afford to lose the potential of any single student as the skills and intelligence of the Maltese people are crucial factors of a prosperous and healthy future.
I also think that education is vital to fostering critical thinking and democratic values. I strongly believe in an education system that equips citizens to be better active participants in our democracy. I also believe that education should first and foremost make us better and more empathetic human beings.
Taking up this portfolio fills me with a great sense of responsibility as the future of thousands of children hailing from different backgrounds depends on the daily choices we make in this sector. The greatest choice we make is whether to exclude or to include and I always opt for greater inclusion.
Each child needs a champion in his or her life and educators can be that champion. I want to be their champion, too, because each student has an equal right to success.
How was your experience of the education system as a student? Do you wish you had had different opportunities to the ones you had? And if so, how are you working towards ensuring that today’s and tomorrow’s students have such opportunities?
I belong to the generation which saw epochal and rapid changes in technology, particularly following the advent of the internet, social media and smart phones. This is why addressing the digital divide is a top priority.
As COVID-19 has shown us, the risk of being cut off from learning is greater for those who lack these tools. That is why we immediately provided digital access to those who lacked this technology at home. Now, we also have to redefine what we mean by the word ‘opportunity’. For example, in the past, many lacked the opportunity to be part of a co-ed non segregated school. Today, most children are experiencing education in a co-ed environment and, thus, this is contributing to a more equal society in terms of gender.
In this day and age, most children are also experiencing education in a class which includes people with different abilities and people hailing from different cultural backgrounds. This is also a great opportunity to grow up in a more inclusive and cosmopolitan society.
We’re also aware, however, that all this underlies the need of more investment in learning support assistants and in providing teachers with more resources to deal with more mixed environments.
You recently announced two incentives for further education (a €2.3 million scholarship scheme & a collaboration between MCAST and the ventilation and air conditioning sector). Why is it important to continue providing students with such opportunities?
Opportunities do not knock often during our relatively short lives so losing one single opportunity could be costly both for the students involved and for the country which loses out in terms of talent. That is why investment in scholarships is so important.
That in MCAST, even through collaboration with the private sector, is also crucial. Indeed, one of the greatest achievements of the past years was that of giving MCAST the same clout and respect carried by other post-secondary institutions like the University.
This article precedes this year’s Higher Education Fair organised by the Ministry for Education and Employment. Why would you say it’s important to continue studying well beyond secondary education? And what’s your advice to those looking to choose a new career?
We need to start thinking in terms of lifelong education beyond the years of compulsory schooling. This is vital because the world around us will never stop changing and, to understand and benefit from these changes, we cannot ever say that we have learned enough.
My advice to those looking to choose a new career is to never fear a new challenge and to always follow your dreams. At the same time, however, one has to remember that a solid grounding in basic skills sets is always a prerequisite for any career choice.
What are the main challenges Malta’s education system is facing right now? And how is the Ministry working towards changing this?
The main challenge is to ensure that the skills gap is addressed. While foreign workers are a great contribution to the economy and, in many cases, perform jobs which many Maltese are no longer interested in doing, we also need to ensure that students are equipped with the skills required for a modern and changing economy.
The other challenge is addressing inequalities and ensuring that all children have the same opportunities in their lives. I genuinely want each and every child to be able to succeed. This is social justice in practice.
Education and employment are obviously correlated but education in itself can give people more than just a good job. As a father yourself, what kind of values do you hope the education system instils in your daughter?
I would like my daughter Ema, who is now 12 and attends Government school, to believe in herself, ask questions about everything, to respect nature and the environment, and to grow up in a society where discrimination based on race, gender or sexual orientation is something which is only talked about in history lessons.
More importantly, I want her to be curious, adventurous, creative and daring. I want her to be active and change things which she dislikes in the society she lives in, as well as to be principled and stand her ground.
This interview was first published in Sunday Circle magazine.