Young people form part of society’s freshest, most dynamic, creative, colourful, tolerant and pluralist group, said Education Minister Louis Galea yesterday during the opening of a week of activities to celebrate National Youth Day at Bay Street.
“Adults are duty-bound to listen to young people, reflect and work with them, so that together, we may restore society in a spirit of equality and justice,” stated Dr Galea.
National Youth Day is organised annually by the national youth council (KNZ) and this year’s motto is “We are all different, but equal” (“Ilkoll Differenti, Ilkoll Indaqs”).
The activities, which include several young people dancing, singing, acting, participating in discussions and other activities, is being organised in collaboration with the National Youth Information Centre (NYIC) and the Commissioner for Children.
Minister Galea invited young people to give their contribution towards the development of the country in this age of human and technological revolution.
He explained that by means of heavy investment, the government is showing that it is truly close to young people, as it is helping them to build their future, find a job and have a high quality of life.
Dr Galea said that all young people are important in the eyes of the government, both those with and without qualifications.
“We accept and celebrate diversity, because we can understand that people are different. We can understand that young people are given different opportunities, some possibly less than others, but we want to help everyone equally to enjoy life and we are convinced that every young man and woman can overcome obstacles and be creative and productive,” he said.
The minister said the government invested millions of liri in the Employment and Training Corporation, which offers special training to help young people from all walks of life find their place in the world of work.
He said there was no previous government that invested as much money in education and training.
The reforms in the education sector, construction and modernisation of schools, development of the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS), the Malta College of Arts Science and Technology (MCAST) and university, are all tools by means of which young people may enrich themselves and contribute towards the country’s development, explained Dr Galea.
Making reference to the fact that there are more female students at university than there are males, Dr Galea said this is a revolution which nobody ever dreamed about a few years back.
“Women need to invade territories that men have so far kept for themselves, like engineering, architecture, sciences and technology,” stated the minister, adding that more women need to contribute to these sectors at MCAST for example.
Today’s and tomorrow’s world of work requires more women to have such skills and qualifications, said Dr Galea.
He mentioned EU programmes Leonardo da Vinci, YOUTH and Socrates, which all contribute to formal and informal education and training of Maltese young people.
In conclusion, the minister referred to the SmartCity project, saying that when people speak about it, the biggest emphasis is always on information technology and computers, but it is also important to note that this project will mean a whole new world of quality in the type of jobs that will be made available in an array of other sectors.