While education for children with a disability, illiteracy and sports were the most popular topics discussed in yesterday’s pre-budget dialogue meeting with the theme Assisting Our Children to Realise Their Full Potential, other issues such as the Malta Council for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) and Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS) were not mentioned.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said he was surprised that these were not mentioned, especially since both provide an important financial contribution to the country’s economy.

In his opening comments, Dr Gonzi said that the secret to the government’s success was an investment in education.

Dr Andrew Azzopardi, lecturer in Youth and Community Studies at the University of Malta, started off the dialogue meeting by putting forward various suggestions.

He said that there are still many schools that need to be restructured because the buildings are not in a good condition.

“However, the building is not enough – schools need to have standards and more collaboration with the community is needed,” said Dr Azzopardi.

Schools need to be given more independence and flexibility while teachers should start stimulating their students, he added.

Dr Azzopardi said that there is a huge gap between the responsibilities that assistant heads and heads of schools have and the salaries they receive.

He also called for an improved inclusion of students from different ethnical backgrounds or educational capabilities.

“The current system of facilitators is not sustainable – this needs to be looked into,” he said.

Furthermore, he added, the waiting lists for psychologists and social workers, especially where children are concerned, need to be reduced.

He pointed out that the syllabus, starting from primary school all the way up to university, is too vast.

“There should be a two-way relationship between the university and industry and the latter needs to contribute more to the former,” said Dr Azzopardi.

Another woman spoke about her son who is studying abroad to become a veterinarian, pointing out that it is not an easy task.

“There are small details that make it very difficult for him. He is not recognised as a university student by the local banks and is therefore charged for his credit card. Since the dates of his exams in Italy are posted only two weeks before, he never manages to find cheap flights,” she said. “People like my son do not feel as though they are university students.”

A Birkirkara local councillor pointed out that there is still a great problem of illiteracy.

“I believe that there should be a system where such people are taught a trade. At least this will give them a sense of pride that they know how to do something,” she said.

Another man suggested that heads and assistant heads of schools are given appropriate training to deal with issues like bullying.

One mother said that she went round all the day care centres for people with a disability but did not find one that was appropriate for her daughter’s needs.

“If she starts going to these day care centres, all the progress she achieved so far will be lost,” she said.

A member of the Down Syndrome Association pointed out that children with down syndrome cannot follow the same syllabus because they have different academic capabilities.

“Education for children with a disability should not stop when they turn 16 – they should be given lifelong learning,” she said.

A marketing graduate said the government should implement a scheme for post-graduate degrees achieved abroad similar to the one offered by myPotential.

“The cost of the course should be deducted from the income tax. After all, people who have a Masters or a PhD will have better wages,” he said.

However, Dr Azzopardi jokingly commented that having a Masters or PhD is not automatically reflected in the person’s salary.

One man in the audience said he knew of many people who had a PhD but were still not paid enough.

“Unfortunately these people are put aside because of their political affiliation or because they do not know the right people instead of being given the chance to use their full potential,” he said.

A primary school teacher lamented the fact that Personal and Social Development (PSD) lessons for Year One to Year Three students were eliminated two years ago due to lack of resources.

“These are the most important years of the students’ formation and it was a mistake to remove them – children of that age also have problems that could be tackled in PSD lessons,” she said.

Another man said that sports is very important and that it should have its own policy.

Dr Gonzi commented that, following Malta’s recent report on obesity, sports is one of the most important tools that can be used to fight it.

One woman called for more flexible part-time Masters, especially at the University of Malta as it was very difficult to juggle a full-time job and a Masters course if the lessons started at three in the afternoon.

A member of the Malta Sports Council said that Malta’s educational system is too focused on the academic aspect. He added that, according to a study carried out by the council, sports contributes at least 1.5 per cent of Malta’s GDP.

“However, the amount allocated today for sports is less than it was seven years ago,” he said.

Concluding, Dr Gonzi thanked everyone for their contributions and suggestions adding that these gave him food for thought.

“You certainly gave us food for thought tonight – if then we have a problem of obesity, we will turn to sports,” he said jokingly.