A very interesting debate was held on Child Poverty at the University of Malta this week and the most pertinent point which arose was that the last reliable statistics on poverty were issued in 2005.

It is now 2010, five years later and one of those who spoke – Labour MP Anthony Agius Decelis – remarked that utility bill price increases and other “contributions” had risen, making the situation worse.

Those last findings established that some 57,000 Maltese people were living in relative poverty. We would have, to a certain extent, agree. One does not need to sift through figures to establish the fact that life has got more expensive over the past five years – and wages have not kept pace.

The reasons are varied, but it is not the time and place to go into it. But what exactly do we mean by relative poverty? Does relative poverty include the ability to go on holiday? Does it include the number of mobile phones that a family owns? Does in include designer labels?

Make no mistake, we are not in any way or form questioning the fact that there are poor people in Malta. There are people who cannot afford electricity bills, decent clothing and a house to live in – we know this and we are of firm belief that these people should receive all the support which can be offered.

In this sense, comments were made during the forum to support the theory that one can only truly tackle poverty through education - we agree. Statistics show that children born in poverty do not perform as well in school and so, the downward and inescapable spiral continues. On the other hand, we cannot agree with suggestions made by Fr Ang Seychell, who said that the closure of trade schools had compounded the matter further because “nothing had replaced them”.

One of Malta’s biggest success stories has been the setting up of the MCAST colleges – offering courses in anything ranging from woodwork to aircraft maintenance. The MCAST has offered many youngsters the chance of a future.

Reopening trade schools will not help. What could one offer at such schools which is not already offered by MCAST (electrician courses, woodwork and others)? In addition, if trade schools were to re-open, would the courses on offer be relevant in today’s Malta? No. The argument that there is no opportunity for instruction in trades simply does not hold water. Many people speak of ‘trades’, but the trades of yesteryear are not necessarily relevant in modern day Malta. Surely, it is a positive thing to look to more modern trade such as aircraft maintenance, as we have already mentioned, rather than the trade of tin hammering.

What is really needed is a cleanup of the social benefit register – to strike off those who are sponging off the state. In that way, those who really do need a helping hand can get it. There also needs to be a targeted drive to find out exactly who the poor of Malta are and where they can be found. Unfortunately, a byproduct of our country’s psyche of helping others is that some families end up receiving help on the quiet – while not receiving the true help that they need from the state.

It is only by investigating, by performing house calls, by questioning families, that we can truly establish what the extent of poverty is on these small islands of ours. Education is key – we agree – but it is only key when one can identify what the needs of tomorrow are. Sadly, there will always be people who are left behind, but as a nation where the human resource is the best that we have – we need to maximize the potential of each and every person.