The Education Ministry must stop sidelining and disrespecting Arts and Humanities courses by only prioritising STEM subjects, student organisations said on Friday.
A press statement signed by Moviment Graffitti and 17 other student organisations called out the “continued disrespect towards the arts and humanities” in the qualification for courses for higher stipend.
Last week, the Education Ministry announced that new students reading for a course in Artificial Intelligence, Earth Science and other STEM subjects will receive a higher stipend starting this scholastic year.
In total, 46 courses will be newly categorised over a period of three years, and according to the ministry, over 4,400 new students will benefit from the reform.
The amount students receive depends on their courses, which are divided into three classifications- ‘general’, ‘prescribed’ and ‘high priority’.
Students following a ‘general course’ receive a stipend of €106, those reading ‘prescribed’ courses receive €187, while a ‘high priority’ course will render followers €375 a month.
“We believe that this initiative fails to benefit students adequately and continues to perpetuate the idea that the primary goal of education is merely to serve as a stepping stone towards employment,” the statement read.
The organisations said that the reform shows that the main goal of the Education Ministry is to “churn out workers” for business interests, rather than to promote intellectual growth and a “culture of critical thought”.
“We wholly disagree with the ministry’s assertion that a mere additional €80 a month will act as a significant incentive for which course future students choose to devote their time to during their student lives. Instead, these €80 serve to establish a hierarchy between the courses that supposedly positively benefit society, and those that supposedly do not.”
The organisations disagree that society only benefits when the national GDP grows.
“This is an unsustainable, naïve, and fundamentally untrue belief. In our society, plagued by issues of corruption, lack of democratic principles and inequality, the arts and humanities are necessary for its betterment.”
They said society needs workers who are highly skilled critics, have a democratic push for the greater good and when necessary can call out the government and authorities when they betray the people they represent.
Appreciating and respecting arts and humanities leads to a "culture of critical thought", the statement reads, along with the promotion of creative expression, the understanding of different perspectives and appreciation of history and culture.
The organisations also criticised how the government has tried to address and solve the current teacher shortage by offering students enrolled in specific STEM courses €375 a month.
“This approach serves as further proof of the authorities’ shortsightedness of their strategy,” the statement read.
“While we are in favour of the raising of stipends, this is not a solution to solving the educational crisis and teacher shortage. This initiative fails to address the issues that are causing people to not choose the teaching profession, and teachers to leave the profession in droves, such as overwhelming workload, and poor mental health support.”
The statement said it is offensive to students that the ministry assumes that a monthly sum, which is not even a third of what is required by a single person to live decently, would make students change their choice in course.
The statement was signed by Movement Graffitti, HoASA - The History of Art and Fine Arts Student Association, Betapsi, SPS - Students' Philosophical Society, JEF Malta, MotivArti, IASTE Malta - International Association for the exchange of Students for Technical Experience, University of Malta Rowing Club, ALLT - Association of Linguistics and Language Technology, CSA - Criminology Students Association, SACES - Society of Architecture and Civil Engineering Students, USPA - University Students of Performing Arts, MUHS - Malta University Historical Society, GħMU - Għaqda tal-Malti Università, ESO - European Studies Organisation, The Third Eye, MIRSA- Malta International Relations Students Association and KŻE - Kolletiv Żgħażagħ EkoXellugin.