Speaking during yesterday’s graduation ceremony, the Dean of the Department of Primary Education in the Faculty of Education, Valerie Sollars, said that meeting daily challenges very much depended on a person’s education.

Dr Sollars said that graduates would now face new challenges. “The extent to which you will succeed in meeting these challenges partly depends on your education thus far. You should eagerly take advantage of, and participate enthusiastically in opportunities which will come your way,” she said.

She added that apart from self-enrichment and personal development, engaging in new challenges enables people to become more committed and more highly-regarded professionals, as they in turn share their expertise, and support those with whom whey will come in contact.

“Definitions of an educated person refer to individuals who can analyse, synthesise, evaluate, understand and communicate knowledge and information. These skills transcend professions, and can be acquired through formal teaching alongside non-formal and informal learning,” she said.

Formal teaching and learning should not be divorced from informal and non-formal opportunities, said Dr Sollars. “By taking into account all learning possibilities which exist within, and beyond, educational institutions, we can really begin to enjoy a highly educated society made up of individuals who are skilled in communicating knowledge and information on the basis of their comprehension and insights acquired as a result of direct experiences, inquiry and reflection,” she said.

She also pointed out that education is not synonymous with schooling. Schooling is a phase which has the potential of making a significantly, positive contribution towards one’s education. “Considering that schooling is compulsory for at least 11 years, it is worth investing in a system which promotes a high-quality education, embracing a deep, intrinsic and critical approach towards learning, and understanding of, and about, subjects,” she said.

“The seeds of an educated society need to be sown very early in life. Many are responsible for providing a fertile environment for germination. In the Faculty of Education, as we work directly with current and future educators, we are constantly challenged to explore ways of promoting relevant learning experiences, to stimulate in students a desire to widen their personal interests,” she said.

She continued: “Our students are facing the challenge of working within micro-communities which reflect the macro level. Teaching styles, resources and content have to be constantly updated to address the changing needs and demands of society. Without adaptation, schools increasingly run the risk of becoming an irrelevant anachronism.”

Students can only succeed in meeting these demands if they themselves are dynamic and interesting people who possess a wealth of skills, knowledge and interests they can bring to the teaching profession, to inspire the pupils for whom they are responsible, she said.

Below are the students who

graduated yesterday

Diploma In Religious Studies

Antoinette Attard

Diploma In Information Technology

Silvio Abela, Daniel Attard, Mark Buhagiar, Stefan Camilleri, Charlene Farrugia, Owen Farrugia, Tyrone Gatt, Matthew Lanzon*, Jessica Muscat, Keith Pace, Jean Claude Vancell, Loranne Xuereb, Sandro Zahra

Diploma In Social Studies

Franklin Abela, Saviour Abela, Stephanie-Berna Abood, Mary Bartolo*, Joellson Bezzina, Joseph Bonnici, Marcelle Casaru, Dorianne Cilia, Emanuel Deguara, Amanda Gafa, Maria Dolores Gauci, Mary Gauci, Antoine Grech, Janet Grima Falzon, Gaetano Mercieca, Alfred Mizzi, Josianne Schembri, Marion Scicluna, Elaine Vella

Bachelor Of Arts In Religious Studies

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. E. Agius

Reuben Borg, Angelo Buttigieg, Mariz Cassar, Victor Cassar, Alexandra Diacono, Anna Farrugia, Jonathan Ferris, Sharon Micallef, Peter Micallef-Eynaud, Clementina Pisani, Doris Spiteri Axiak, Mariella Spiteri-Gonzi, Brian Sultana, Mary Vella, Michelina Zerafa

Bachelor Of Arts In Theology And Human Studies

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. E. Agius

David Leonard Aquilina, Glen Attard*, Stephen Attard, Rene Cilia, Nicholas Dimech, Michael Angelo Doublet, Manuel Ellul, Bernard Falzon, Stephanie Falzon, Clinton Farrugia, Stephen Magro, Stephen Micallef, Jonathon Muscat, Francesca Rizzo, David Torpiano

Bachelor Of Arts (Honours) In Theology

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. E. Agius

Alexandra Agius (Robing), Nikolai Papagiorcopulo, Jacob Portelli, Ian Zammit, Maria Zammit

Bachelor Of Sacred Theology

Sponsor: Rev. Prof. E. Agius

Malcolm Agius, Glen Buhagiar, Jonathan Farrugia, Victor Paul Farrugia, Daniel Galea*

Bsc In Information Technology (Hons)

Sponsor: Dr. E.A. Cachia

James Attard, Josef Attard, Christian Azzopardi, Kurt Azzopardi, David Bailey, Rachel Bailey, Reuben Bartolo, Addison Bonnici, Mark Bonnici (Robing), Jimmy Borg, Dawn Borg Costanzi, Andrew Calleja, Anthony Calleja, Elaine Camilleri, Gaetano Caruana, Jonathan Caruana, Alan Cassar, Gail Cassar, Christian Colombo, Mark Alexander Degiorgio, Georgina Dobrev, Alan Duca, Daniel Ludvig Farrugia, David Farrugia, Matthew Felice Pace, Stephen Fenech, Liliana Galea, Mark Galea, Keith Grech, Neville Grech, Maria Grima, Daniel Massa, Kenneth Micallef, Clint Mizzi, Karl Muscat, Marco Muscat, Roberta Muscat, Alan Pulis, Maurice Saliba, Etienne Sammut, Mark Scerri, Ruth Maria Schembri, Tracy Sillato, Andre` Vella, George Vella, Marvil Vella

Bsc In Information Technology

Christian Azzopardi, Kalin Maldzhanski

Bachelor Of Engineering (Honours)

Sponsor: Prof. R. Ghirlando

Amanda Abela, Karl David Agius, Mark Axiaq, Andrea Azzopardi, Sandro Azzopardi

Steve Azzopardi, James Baldacchino, Franklin Balzan, Pauline Bartolo*, Matthew Bianco, Allen Carl Bonnici, Joanne Bonnici, Albert - Paul Borg, Efrem Borg, Graziella Borg, Neal Borg, Omar Bugeja, Glyton Carl Camilleri, William Camilleri, Fleur Caruana, Jeanelle Cassar, Alistaire Chetcuti, Justine Coppini, Stephanie Cordina*, David Cristina, Ryan Curmi, Charles Darmanin, John De Carlo, Aaron Debattista

Kristian Mark Farrugia, Lisa Farrugia*, Michael Farrugia, Owen Farrugia, Carl Fenech, Keith Fenech, Matthew Galea, Michael Galea*, Tara Elese Galea, Christopher Gatt, David Daniel Gerada, Alan Grech*, Lawrence Grech, Nicholas Grech, Ryan Grech, Lynne Hopkins, Julian Mamo*, Matthew Mangion, Mark Meilak, Luke Micallef, Benjamin Pavia, Giovanni Piscopo, Nathanael Portelli, Vincent Mario Rapa

Paul Refalo, Adrian Sargent, Edward Scerri, Jonathan Schembri, Stephen Schembri, Yevegene Joseph Sciberras. Lucienne Scicluna, Kenneth Spiteri. Victor Spiteri, Ilona Anne Sultana, David Vassallo*, Liana Vella, Roderick Vella, Warren Vella, Andrew Vella Zarb, Karl Xerri, Cathryn Xuereb, Christopher Zammit, Daniel Zammit, Mark Zammit, Paul Zammit, Robert Zammit, Andrew Zammit Mangion (Robing)

Postgraduate Diploma In Gerontology And Geriatrics

M’assunta Bonello, Fatima Eltinay, Alejandro Guevara, Sevnaz Sahin, Ivan Scicluna

Patrick Vella

* In Absentia