University students' experience in Senglea literacy project

Two students, currently reading a degree in Social Administration at the University of Malta, have just completed a practical placement at the Foundation for Educational Services (FES) which ran the Senglea Community Literacy Outreach Project.

The fourth-year students, Sandro Drago and David Gauci, said it was inspiring for them to see parents being involved in lifelong learning experiences, while offering their children's educational learning experiences in an informal and familiar educational setting.

These parents were empowered and encouraged to assess and facilitate their children's education through building a learning portfolio. Organising, co-ordinating and participating in such community literacy outreach projects will enhance better families. This is important in view that work in today's competitive environment is based on knowledge, attitudes and skills.

This literacy project involved the participation of the Senglea council, parents, volunteers, teachers, FES co-ordinators and NGOs. This co-ordinated team worked towards the success of the literacy project. Their teamwork augurs well for other similar projects in the future.

Throughout this placement the students said they appreciated the fact that parents from Senglea were allowed to own the project from its initial planning to its implementation. The rationale behind it is that parents know best the needs of their children.

Through active participation in this project, the parents, with the support of FES teachers and animators, acquired skills that enabled them to support their children's education more effectively.

Having experienced the success of the Senglea Community Literacy Outreach Project, the students suggest that other local councils, especially in the Cottonera region, contact the Parents-in-Education Programme within the Foundation for Educational Services to undertake such initiatives with the aim to promote literacy in the community.