Partit Demokratiku today referred to two separate issues that have cropped up in the Education sector these past few days. One was the pilot scheme whereby the photocopying of material needed by educators is being centralised, and the other is the provision of milk and fruit or vegetables to students.

Partit Demokratiku fully supports the philosophy of encouraging children to eat healthy food and to drink plain milk, however, the way it is being implemented leaves much to be desired as far as ecological impact is concerned. The single use plastic straws that are being provided with the milk, as well as the plastic packaging of the fruit/vegetables, send the wrong message to students who our teachers are striving to educate to be responsible citizens, and to help coach them to become positive contributors and participants in our modern democracy. In this, Partit Demokratiku fully supports the MUT in its statement that an alternative approach should be found. Additionally, the choice and quality of vegetables presented this week has been met with complaints from students and educators alike.

The other issue is the centralisation of photocopying which leaves no room for teachers to adapt a prepared lesson according to particular needs that might suddenly crop up since the scanned copies of what teachers require have to be handed in three days in advance.  This runs contrary to the need to empower educators, and Partit Demokratiku believes that this particular issue shows lack of trust in our educators thus only serving to exacerbate the teaching crisis. There is also the issue of increased traffic on our already congested roads while these photocopies are being delivered.

Partit Demokratiku believes that Government should address issues in a holistic fashion, which reduce stress while improving the quality of teaching and teaching resources.

In dealing with traffic, the environment, and the teaching profession, Partit Demokratiku believes that if we want a better tomorrow, we must be willing to invest in it and prioritise it.