In the field of education, our country continues to make a name for itself all over the world. An international scientific study places Malta amongst the best in the world in terms of student satisfaction in higher education during the time of COVID-19.
The report published by The Covid-19 Social Science Lab is an analysis by the Faculty of Public Administration/University of Ljubljana (along with international partners) who launched a large-scale online survey across the world, entitled “Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Life of Higher Education Students.”
The online questionnaire is based on and extends “The European Students’ Union Survey (2020)” and asks higher education students about what student life looked like during the COVID-19 pandemic, including teaching and learning, social contacts, as well as how they are coping with the situation emotionally in different parts of the world.
The research team state that “apart from the devastating health consequences for those directly affected by the virus, the COVID-19 pandemic holds major implications for the way higher education students live and work, affecting their physical and mental well-being in profound ways”.
Malta features amongst the top countries in various spheres of the questionnaire, placing in the top three in several areas of the results given in by the respondents.
My heartfelt congratulations for this success, both for the University of Malta and for our country.
The future for our education system is very bright. We have achieved successes in the storm. Imagine what we will achieve working together in the better times to come.
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The first steps towards normality in education - and a bright future - were taken this week with the opening of SkolaSajf. As SkolaSajf 2020 opened its doors on Wednesday, I paid a visit to one of the 55 centres – the Zurrieq Primary School.
This year SkolaSajf began on the 1st of July, two weeks earlier than usual, and will continue until the 4th of September. On the first day, Year 4+ children started attending Skolasajf, students of Years 1, 2 and 3 began attending on the 2nd July whilst Kindergarten students will begin today, the 3rd of July. This year SkolaSajf will be in service for 10 weeks instead of the normal 8 weeks.
I am pleased with the excellent work by the SkolaSajf administration who lead us to this road back to normality. This is the result of an ongoing effort from all the FES employees, who worked hard to make SkolaSajf happen two weeks earlier than scheduled.
‘My planet, my home’ is this year's theme for SkolaSajf. The activities taking place will remind the children of the beauty that nature possesses and our obligations as responsible citizens to look after Earth, as our home. The activities will also be a reminder of the common good that unites us, and of the importance of caring for each other, because at the end of the day we all depend on one another.
Every year SkolaSajf meets specific targets such as giving the participants space to explore their creative skills, in a method known as learning by doing. However, this year Skolasajf will go beyond that as it will re-integrate routine in the daily life of its participants. Routine helps children feel safe and secure in their environment, something that was lost due to the closure of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Skolsajf 2020 is being considered as a special edition for various reasons. It represents a collective victory for Malta and Gozo, with the population working together to reach the stage where SkolaSajf is the first educational institution catering for residents to open its doors following the COVID-19 pandemic.
SkolaSajf is spread over 55 centres around Malta and Gozo with a total 1,607 workers engaged in the project. A total number of 7,849 applications were received.
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Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many families around the world saw their daily habits change drastically from one day to the next, including changes brought about by schools’ abrupt closure.
Recently I was presented with the book ‘The Thousand Questions of Dino Ricciolino about the Coronavirus’. This publication was made possible thanks to the National Literacy Agency and is aimed at children aged three to ten years old.
The aim of this book is to answer with clarity and simplicity, but at the same time with scientific accuracy, the thousand questions that crowd the minds of the little ones.
Knowledge is always the first step towards understanding the world around us. With this guidebook, we want to equip children with information they require to face reality, but also increase their sense of responsibility. This publication is also an aid for families to answer their children's questions clearly.
The decision for a bilingual book, in both Maltese and English, reflects our wish to reach all the children in Malta and Gozo. We will also be giving the Maltese and English eBook free of charge to students.
I thank all those who have contributed towards the production of this publication, especially David Muscat at the National Literacy Agency, who always supports such projects.
The Italian author of this book is Chiara Battistelli with colourful illustrations by Onda S. The Maltese translation was in the hands of Joanne Micallef, edited by Toni Aquilina and proofread by the Maltese Literacy Agency, whilst the book was designed by Naomi Gatt.
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This week I also virtually joined a group of sixteen schools that have been awarded with the eTwinning School Label 2020-21 and congratulated them for this achievement.
Schools awarded with the eTwinning School Label are great examples of how whole schools benefit from eTwinning as an innovative methodology to collaborate within the largest global network of educators. I am truly proud to say that Malta is once again one of the European countries with the largest number of awarded eTwinning schools per capita.
I congratulate these 16 schools that have been given this award but I also encourage other schools to follow the same steps so that our country will continue to receive praise in successful projects amongst other countries. With the eTwinning School Label, eTwinning recognises and appraises the involvement, commitment and dedication not only of individual eTwinners, but of the whole school, where teams of teachers and school leaders work together.
It is a developmental journey and such schools are recognised as leaders in: digital practice, esafety practice, innovative and creative approaches to pedagogy, promoting continuous professional development of staff, promoting collaborative learning practices with staff and students.