Time hath not changed us

Andrew Scicluna complains (May 3) that an overhaul of our educational system is long overdue and that no one seems to be addressing the problem.

I am not qualified to discuss the merits of Mr Scicluna's remarks but his observation that here problems are left to compound themselves certainly strikes a chord.

I have recently read John Manduca's excellent publication of The Bonham-Carter Diaries, 1936-1940. General Bonham-Carter seemed to have acquired, in the four years of his governorship, a very penetrating grasp of the Malta situation; it emerges so painfully clearly from reading this book that many of the problems that existed 70-odd years ago are still with us today. I quote:

Page 284: "... most of the education in Malta is hardly worthy of the name, being purely instruction and often merely cramming for an examination".

Page 161: "...what is really needed is a thorough overhaul of all the traffic arrangements".

Page 163: "The driving in Malta is very bad and must be improved".

Page 308: "...we had continual complaints that taxi drivers were demanding from tourists high overcharges and to combat this we decided to have taxi meters".

Page 338: "As usual, the Public Works Department have left a good many of their jobs not quite finished".

Page 96: "...the very strong party feeling which is the bane of politics in Malta..."

Page 262: "...in Malta a political opponent is synonymous with enemy".

Page 364 (about a nomination to the Council of Government): "He is a lawyer, which is a disadvantage; we have got too many of them already".

Page 74: "In some villages there are sometimes two or more (band clubs)... and then the rivalry which seems to exist between clubs becomes terrific".

Things haven't changed much in 70 years, have they?