Thousands of children attending government schools returned to their classes yesterday after nearly three months of summer holidays. Some Church and private schools also re-opened their doors, while the rest will do so by the first week of October.

It will be yet another crucial year for all the students, in whatever school year they happen to be. Because each and every year of school forms part of the foundations on which their future will be built. And, apart from their own individual future, it is the future of our country that is also being built through their experience.

We can boast of a healthy education system, but it does not mean that it is perfect. The fact that Malta can rely only on its human resources to succeed makes it imperative to have an education system that does not allow for people to lose their way as they climb the ladder of life.

Unfortunately, and in spite of all the efforts, Malta is still “producing” 16-year-olds who finish their compulsory schooling classified as illiterate. Had they been given the right incentives, they would have used their school time to develop other skills that may become handy in their adult life.

The reforms that have been carried out in the past few years, such as the introduction of the college system, are intended to strengthen a sector, enabling it to bring out the best from each and every one of our younger people. While it is clear that such a system has led to some positive changes, the overall judgment will be made in a few years’ time when the first cycle is completed.

One matter that has been brought up recently is whether our education system should continue to be built exclusively on examinations, or whether examinations should only remain as the principal means with which to assess students. A consultation document that will be published in the coming months will be dealing with the situation, and one hopes that a solution will be found to reduce the level of pressure that is put on students as from a young age.

Foreign models should be looked into in great detail, considering that there are countries where education is based on having fun while learning, especially in the early years of school. Our system is based too much on teachers’ instructions and dictations; although there has been progress, schools often do not give the opportunity for the whole person to grow.

Knowledge is important, but education should be more comprehensive than learning mathematics, English and Maltese. The creativity of students should not be curtailed but allowed to grow and encouraged. And this is why there should be more time for activities outside the classroom, such as sport, drama, music, art and dance. Many students do take up these activities, but this happens outside school hours and often at a great expense for the parents.

Added to this, we must be pro-active and anticipate what our country’s needs will be in a few years’ time, and try to as much as possible push students in that direction. Nobody should be deprived of becoming a lawyer if he or she wants to, but if the country needs more engineers and IT specialists, everything possible should be done to encourage more young people to take up such careers.

In spite of having a University and MCAST bursting at the seams with the ever-increasing number of students going into tertiary education, we still need more and more students who continue their studies after finishing their compulsory education years. It is only by utilising all the human resources possible that Malta will be able to compete.