The Nationalist Government has always been seen as the government that faces up to all the challenges that arise – challenges that, had they not been taken care of and dealt with in the way in which they were, would have had serious consequences for the Maltese islands.

However, internal challenges such as the one presented by the education sector seem to be more of a challenge than any other that the Government has encountered in recent years, because the education system really is “the cradle of society”.

Over the years, the Nationalist Government has sought out ways and means of not only enhancing the academic development of children but, most of all, enhancing their life skills in order to prepare them to face the challenges that come with growing up.

In fact, great efforts have been made to change the scholastic curriculum to one that enhances the abilities of the children, not only by giving them marks for the exams they take, but also by assessing their overall performance during the scholastic year through work done at school and in their homes.

This overall change has not only applied to children attending school. Teachers are also undergoing training and courses that help them further develop their teaching skills in order to identify the needs of their students.

The whole aim of this reform of our education system is to give guidelines to students, in either a direct or indirect manner, which will help them develop skills that will be an asset to the workforce of the future.

A group of colleges, comprised of primary and secondary-level schools, has been set up with the ultimate goal of ensuring continuity and the upgrading of the educational system for the benefit of every single child.

This development in the education system has not stopped at primary and secondary level. It has also affected not only post-secondary and graduate students but also post-graduate and PhD levels. The benefit of this can already been seen from the number of scholarships being given to students to further their studies overseas.

Looking at what has already been done, it is immediately apparent that students now have more opportunities than they have ever had – opportunities that reflect their own abilities and therefore help them decide their own future.

The students who recently graduated from university or MCAST are a perfect example of the opportunities in our education system. The number of students who graduated is encouraging, not only for the Government to continue investing in the education sector, but also for the students themselves, who are eager to study and further develop their education.

The MCAST is a good example of students who do not wish to choose the traditional professions but are sufficiently innovative to see their studies as a stepping-stone to the working world.

The MCAST offers students the opportunity not only to learn but also to apply what they are taught. In fact, this summer a number of students from the MCAST Design faculty were given the chance to work with local companies on three-dimensional design, an experience that was described by the students themselves as unique, fruitful and fantastic.

In addition, the last few years has seen a significant increase in the number of students attending university, in which the Government continues to invest and enhance. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has invited the university to formulate a strategic plan for the creation of a university that better reflects the needs of its students and to promote research programmes, especially in conjunction with foreign universities. This will not only encourage Maltese students to embark on research programmes but will also promote Malta with foreign entities as a source of research and development.

The Nationalist Govern-ment has always been a promoter of innovation, insisting that the University of Malta should be open to modernisation and should reflect all our expectations of it. However, all this investment in and promotion of the education system needs to be coupled with good guidance to students in order to help them identify their goals according to their abilities. Other plans are being made and invested in to enhance facilities and promote students’ learning skills.

The Nationalist Govern-ment has always promoted schooling and education and another good example of this is its decision to promote the sciences by giving higher stipends to students choosing this field of study. In addition, the Government has given allowances to Gozitan students who want to continue their studies at university.

But all this is not enough for the Nationalist Government. It believes that investment in the education system should be ongoing and should not only promote the well-being and overall good of the student, but should also be a life investment for the Maltese islands, given that educational institutions should be considered the forges that form the future workforce of our islands and the future parents of the families to come.

Dr Cardona Gatt is a PN candidate for the First and Eighth districts