In his letter Improving public education (TMID, 18 October), Josef Cachia tried to belittle the achievements by this government in the education sector and in so doing failed miserably. I don’t blame him, considering the giant leap forward the educational sector has witnessed, especially in the last three years. Education is one of the three pillars together with work and the environment which the Gonzi administration has placed high on its list of priorities.

May I list a just a few of the many achievements in this field. Perhaps this will help to refresh Mr Cachia’s memory.

Sixty one per cent of students who attempted the Junior Lyceum examinations this year were successful. This is the highest pass rate ever.

Nearly 70 per cent of students who finish secondary education further their studies. The government is striving to increase this percentage.

Since MCAST opened its doors in 2001 student population has more than doubled. Today, 4,000 students are engaged in full time courses while 5,000 more students attend evening courses. All this is set to increase substantially in the coming years thanks to government’s Lm50 million investment in this college.

MCAST is the first European institute which has been awarded the Edexcel International Centre of Excellence Award. Edexcel forms part of Pearson Education, the biggest organisation in the educational sector worldwide.

Today more than 10,000 students attend university, and together with MCAST, ITS, Junior College and students who follow a course in a private institution receive stipends. (The day when Dr Alfred Sant as Prime Minister turned part of the stipends into loans is still fresh in our memory.)

Malta has one of the highest ECDL certified in the world.

In 2004 Malta had the highest number of graduates in the Sciences and IT in the entire EU.

Certainly more needs to be done and because education is governed by the principle ‘for all to succeed’ in next years budget more money has been pumped in education.

Janice Chetcuti

Marsaxlokk