On education

In the past, I have written about the fact that homework is no longer relevant today but it seems that nothing is being done about this thorn in the side of parents sorely pressed for time. We still hear of teachers who pile loads of homework onto students, many of whom come from families where both parents go out to work full-time.

Homework today is an obsolete concept. Everybody knows that to make ends meet, it is no longer possible for several married couples to have one of the spouses at home while the other goes out to work, as in the past. This means that the parents are exhausted when they return home from work and they also have to deal with household chores.

Having to spend hours supervising the kids as they go about working their homework is a pure purgatory for such parents. Yet, it seems that some educators have still not woken up to the fact that the world has changed and that homework should be abolished.

If only such educators stop to reflect on the stress and tension they are causing children and their parents through assigning homework, especially in large quantities on a daily basis, they would surely realise that the solution is to abolish homework once and for all. If this is not done, I would suggest that educators and, especially those in a position to take important decisions on educational reform, stop talking about the need for children to be allowed to enjoy their childhood. Words and action have to match!

More democratic schools

It is unfortunate that the recent spate of attacks on teachers by students and some cases of peer bullying by students have diverted educational discourse from an important issue that still remains to be seriously tackled in our educational system, that is, the democratisation of schools.

I have always maintained that we cannot educate children in the values of democracy when the relations between school administrators, teachers, parents and students are not built on a democratic basis. Why, in 2007, do we still tolerate situations where the relationship between school administrators and teachers on one side and students and parents on the other side is still on an "us and them" basis?

Why do we still tolerate pseudo-educators who shout at students to "correct" them? I was recently passing near a primary school during the time of the morning assembly when the head was addressing the children. I was shocked at the way he spoke and the tone of voice used. He spoke in a threatening manner and almost choked in his rage! Now, the oldest of these children could not have been more than around 11 years of age. Is this the way to address such young children?

Have we ever stopped to ask whether many violent incidents in schools are brought about through such behaviour? Have we stopped to reflect on the fact that educators are role-models for the students and that incidents of bullying may very well be the result of the imitation by students of such behaviour as the one mentioned above on the part of a pseudo-educator?

Unfortunately, progressive educators, like Socrates, are often accused of corrupting our youth. Arguments like mine are often dismissed as idealistic and likely to destabilise discipline in schools. Nothing could be further from the truth! Democracy sustains social discipline, authoritarian practices undermine it.

Trade schools

It was a big mistake to close down trade schools. There are some students who are just not academically-inclined. They will rebel against any sort of bookish education but give them something practical where they can use their hands and they will spend hours at it and you will hear their sighs of disappointment when you tell them that it's time to stop.

I am one of those who believe that trade schools should be re-introduced at the secondary level and integrated within the college structure at present being introduced by the Education Division. With a curriculum based on technical subjects but including also the main, indispensable academic ones, with professionally-trained educators and state-of-the-art equipment, such schools could be a solution to solving the problem of unruly students in some of our schools. They would also provide a nucleus of students well-trained in various trades useful in various aspects of everyday life.

Education provided by local councils

On a positive note, it is heartening to note that educational opportunities being provided by local councils are increasing in quantity and quality. Such initiatives are to be applauded because they are nothing less than the implementation of the concept of community education which was introduced into the Maltese islands, several years ago, by Peter Mayo of the University of Malta and whose academic contributions have received international acclaim.

It is important here that courses offered by local councils comprise the vocational, academic and purely recreational aspects of education. Furthermore, lecturers/teachers/instructors should be trained not only in pedagogy but also in andragogy, that is adult education methodology.

Today, the concept of lifelong learning has become one of the pillars of all education systems and community education as provided by local councils forms an integral part of this.