“Malta’s economy is in a good state, it grew by a staggering 3.8 per cent compared to the EU average of 1.3%. The labour market is experiencing positive trends, such as having 60% of women who are active in the labour market and Malta has the third lowest unemployment rate in Europe,” Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said today.

“With such results, one may think we have done enough and nothing needs to be done but it is not in the government’s nature to stop there. That is why we have launched Education Plus with the aim of reshaping the educational experience of our children,” he continued.

Dr Muscat was speaking during the launch of Education Plus which took place at Auberge de Castille in the presence of social partners, union representatives, among others.

The Education Plus project aims to enhance the education experience of students by involving the community.

The initiative brings together civil society, unions, the education and employment ministry among others to understand each other’s needs and equip students to face future demands.

During a press briefing prior to the launch, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo explained that a number of MOUs between the ministry and social partners, unions, employers, NGOs, government departments are being signed in this regard.

“It’s not just about learning to know but it is also about learning to live with one another but this real-life experience cannot always happen at schools and therefore one must emerge with initiatives such as outdoor education for instance,” he said.

He explained that a group of youths have already spent three weeks with the armed forces and got a taste of what discipline is all about.

Mr Bartolo said that youths joining scout groups or nurseries for instance helps widen the educational aspect.

He also explained that Ernst & Young had organised a number of sessions at State schools to raise awareness on accounting. Mr Bartolo said that as a result of these sessions, accounting was introduced across all state schools in September.

The objectives of the initiative include cultivating student engagement and motivation, to promote high aspirations in learning, to enhance the teaching profession by providing teachers with the relevant professional development, right support and conditions to maximise their teaching skills, and to support apprenticeship, among others.

Daniel Xerri from the EFL Monitoring Board, Ronald Attard from EY Malta, Edric Zahra from the Armed Forces of Malta, Adrianna Zammit from Microsoft Malta and Malta Enterprise representative John Buttigieg are the speakers of the event.

The AFM official explained that the 16 students who spent three weeks with them were thought first-aid, how to overcome fear and reach objectives, and team building. He said that the students were wonderful but had a problematic background. The aim, he said, was to give them basic social skills, such as sharing the love of life with others. He said that he witnessed a change in their attitude, mainly how to respect one another, following the challenging experience.

Towards the end of the launch, Mr Bartolo quoted the proverb 'it takes a community to educate a child' and said that is why it is important to work together.