Prevention is better than cure

As a country we seem to spend more financial resources on cure than on prevention. This applies mainly to the sectors of health and education. The recent events of violence and bullying in our schools make us stop and think about what is happening, not only in schools but also in our society.

It is a fact that society has changed and is constantly changing. Whether it changed for better or for worse it is up to each of us to decide. However, to a certain extent, violence and bullying in schools are also a consequence of the changes that happened throughout the years. Society has changed and is still changing, but what about our schools and the education system? Are these adapting to cater for the changes that occur in society? In my opinion, the answer is no.

In recent years, the Ministry for Education commissioned and published many reports. These make interesting reading and most of the persons involved are valid and make a sound contribution to our education system. But simply publishing reports but not implementing them do not solve problems or ease challenges.

Two reports that were published are Good Behaviour And Discipline Policy In Schools and The Anti-Bullying Policy. A good number of procedures proposed in these documents were either not implemented or, if introduced, not effective for various reasons.

As an example I mention the services that need to be given by social workers, counsellors, guidance teachers and psychologists.

The teaching of PSD (personal and social development) was also mentioned in one of the reports. However, the subject needs to be updated to match the current situation. From feedback received on this subject, it appears that it is not havimg the expected results and needs to be more in line with what is happening in today's society.

One wonders what is impeding the full implementation of the two policies published in 2001?

With regard to PSD, the past year ended without an education officer in the subject. The same applied to another 40 subjects! In fact, more than half the complement is vacant and, for some unknown reason, difficulties or lack of will are being encountered in filling these important posts.

As an alternative government, the Labour Party is actively proposing other alternatives. In fact, in July 2006, the party general conference met and approved a plan for education. This came about after many hours of discussions, both within the party and with those interested in the subject.

For many years we have been saying that the education system needs to be student-centred. Our plan revolves around this concept. The one-system-fits-all attitude needs to be changed as soon as possible, both for the benefit of students and also for the country itself. This will also help in reducing situations that are not desired in schools.

However, this is not enough. We need to work directly with the problematic students and their respective families. Obviously, this is more delicate and complicated. Children are affected by problems that derive from the surrounding community, be it their own family or the area where they live. As such, focusing only on reaping the benefits of education without also addressing the social aspect is a mistake we cannot continue making. If we persist in this error we will continue to have students that, after many years in education, end up without the necessary basic skills and, worse still, also illiterate.

Obviously, this does not mean that all the students that encounter difficulties in learning are bullied, are bullies or are violent. This is definitely not the case, although some do have these problems and that is why we need to tackle this situation as soon as possible.

As a party, apart from having a system that caters for all students, we are proposing the setting up of a special unit for extreme cases of misbehaviour. This unit will, first and foremost, not disrupt other students and also help misbehaving students to reform themselves before rejoining their colleagues in the classroom. Suspending such students will not help in reforming them and society will continue to carry the burden for many years.

A new concept that could be introduced in case of students that bully other students is community work. Making these youngsters aware of the hardships that exist in our society may help them change their attitude. In fact, in the recent case where students were arraigned and also temporarily suspended from MCAST, I suggested that they should do some community work. In this way, instead of enjoying their holidays and weekends, they will give something back to society. This is a concept that has been implemented in some European countries, notably Italy and the UK. Maybe locally we should implement this method too, not least for the benefit of the students themselves.

However, even in these cases, prevention is better than cure. And that is why the education system and those in authority should work hard to try to avoid any undesired problems. It is a known fact that curing the effects of violence and bullying, both in the case of the victim and of the misbehaving students themselves, is very difficult and not always successful. But we cannot fail, otherwise society will continue to suffer.

Mr Abela, is the opposition's main spokesman for education, youth and culture.