Education rarely hits the media headlines except for relatively minor issues that are really no more than red herrings in the broad debate on the state of our education system.

As elections approach, both main political parties come up with proposals that are at best short-term fixes for the weaknesses perceived to be behind the poor achievement levels of a substantial number of Maltese students.

Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech has just made some promises that his party hopes to implement if elected. These include better working conditions for teachers, more investment in the schools’ infrastructure, including air conditioning, and a continued supply of freebies such as internet access and tablets.

There is no doubt these proposals would help our students enjoy an environment more amenable to learning and would contribute to our educators feeling more appreciated and justly rewarded for their efforts. This, in turn, would bolster teachers’ motivation and dedication to the all-important job of educating tomorrow’s adults.

Relative to its importance, teaching is among the least respected professions in Malta. This causes some ambitious graduates to avoid entering the profession. Countries with excellent education systems, like Finland, make very demanding conditions for graduates to become teachers. As a result, teachers are better paid, better motivated and more respected in the community.

But proposals like the PN’s, however laudable, are not the silver bullet that will by themselves lead to the recovery of an education system suffering from decades-long underperformance. In reality, there is no silver bullet that would solve the multiple problems any time soon.

It is a fallacy that quality education is purely about what goes on in schools. Education is a complex human activity where the home environment, the school management, the motivation of both educators and students and the policies adopted by the education authorities combine to determine the final outcome. 

The public debate on the consequences of having a mediocre education system is almost non-existent. Well-off families provide safety nets for their children, in the form of private schooling, extra tuition and other means, to ensure that they leave school with enough skills to secure their chances of employment and success. The families with limited financial resources, however, often give up when their children show little inclination to make the best of their school years.

The country’s low educational achievement level has the broadest of ramifications. Besides shaping the economic scenario, it is arguably behind the lack of appreciation for the importance of preserving our environment, behind the frequent anti-social behaviour of sections of the community and at the root of the inability to judge our politicians and keep them in check when they abuse the trust people have placed in them. Malta’s expenditure on education is above the EU average. Yet, its achievement levels are among the worst. This shows that merely throwing money at the system does not lead to a significant improvement in results.

In the last few decades, short-term educational tactics have produced limited results. They have not given the best value for taxpayers’ money spent. Meanwhile, the fundamental causes of low achievement are still nebulous – or perhaps too depressing – for politicians to embark on a root and branch reform of the system.

The country, led by the education authorities, needs to have a frank and open discussion, informed by the best research possible, about why the system is still failing so many young people.

Only then will political parties be able to make meaningful proposals on the long-term reforms and the financing needed to make education work for students from all social backgrounds.