We meet people all the time, families meet each other in their homes, children have fun together. People socialise. We make new friends and acquaintances at work and everywhere we go and this happens continuously over the span of years.

We all have special memories which we cherish, especially those related to our childhood and younger days. If you have to ask me, I definitely cherish the beautiful memories of the teachers I used to love the most.

Good teachers leave a mark on us and certainly, they have left a mark on me.

I had the fortune of having very capable teachers throughout my scholastic journey. When I was a child in Year 6, a woman – Miss Butler – was almost like a second mother.

At the Archbishop’s Seminary, a seasoned teacher, Anthony Aquilina, was hardworking and exemplary as was Adrian Grima when I later went to Junior College. There are many more.

What I value is the fact that they encouraged me to think for myself and to become independent. They urged me to pursue my dreams and to be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve them, instead of telling me that they were out of reach. 

Nelson Mandela described education as being the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. The choice of diction sounds bombastic, but it is not an exaggeration: Education unlocks the mind.

And if one keeps in mind that tomorrow belongs to the people who give birth to it today, it is clear that behind the walls of our schools lies the path of where we want to go as a nation.

Life is not a walk in the park. I am aware that there are teachers who are finding it difficult to reignite their passion for teaching or students who are struggling with subjects they believe are not making sense, or parents who are worried about their children’s educational advancement.

We are going to reach out and make sure that everyone feels part of this positive, collective journey

We are listening to them.

The good news is that we are moving in the right direction.  We are going to reach out and make sure that everyone feels part of this positive, collective journey through time which we call education.

We want to provide all learners with the necessary opportunities to develop values, skills and attitudes that cultivate active citizenship and employability in the 21st century. We want to keep closing the gap between the world of education and the world of employment, we want to equip students with critical thinking strategies that value learning as a form of constant growth and nurture both personal and societal values and beliefs.

We will prioritise the provision of a variety of quality learning paths and lifelong learning; areas that encourage social agency and active participation in Malta’s economic and cultural growth, regardless of age, interests, abilities and social background.

We will develop a renewed culture of learning that fosters empathy with the different logics of learning.

This will be possible through an improved system of formative assessment and scaffolded learning strategies that encourage and enable all educational sectors, from primary to vocational and tertiary institutions, to work hand in hand for common educational goals.

Such goals, ultimately, imbue students with the necessary skills and experiences to grow into independent 21st century citizens, empowered by a strong sense of identity and self-worth.

So far, the government’s efforts for a more equitable, quality and inclusive education system during the past years have yielded important successes: a steady decline in early school leavers from 25.7 per cent in 2009 to 17.5 per cent in 2018 and an increase in students in higher education by 33.1 per cent between 2010 and 2017.

Adult learning is at a par with EU average at 11.1 per cent participation compared to 10.8 per cent in 2018. The employment rate of recent graduates has also risen to 94.8 per cent, the highest in the EU.

The increased number of Child-Care Centres, Breakfast Clubs and Club 3-16 centres in both Malta and Gozo, have led to more families improving their quality of life and self-fulfilment, as both parents can contribute to the financial well-being of their family by going to work or even furthering their studies.

These are very important results and we want to achieve and do more: we want lower number of early school leavers, more gender equity and a continuously renewed educational system that facilitates training and employment for young people and life-long learners in different stages of life.

This is essentially a mission of social justice.

A mission of ensuring the provision of valuable, relevant and sustainable learning experiences that transform citizens from different spheres of society, into active agents of change, passionate learners, creative practitioners and avid problem solvers in an ever-changing society.

The journey will be an exciting one.

Owen Bonnici is Minister of Education and Employment.