"Learning is like rowing upstream: not to advance is to drop back." (Chinese Proverb)

 

According to the United Nations, the Covid-19 Pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history. It has affected nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and across all continents. The closure of schools and learning spaces has impacted 94 per cent of the world's student population and up to 99 per cent in low and lower-middle income countries.

 The closure of schools and universities cannot be taken lightly. The impact of this disruption will go beyond this generation and may ultimately wipe out decades of progress. It will also impact the provision of basic services to children and communities. This includes nutritious food, the ability of parents to go to work and a higher risk of domestic violence particularly against women and children.

 

Not all is negative

But not all is doom and gloom! Where there is a will there is always a way. The pandemic has stimulated innovation particularly in the education sector.  Thanks to the quick intervention of governments worldwide new ways of imparting knowledge have been developed which includes distance/online learning. This is helping no end to ensure education continuity and the security that children and youths get the opportunity to learn. We are lucky to be living in a country that has over the years invested heavily in IT and a robust digital infrastructure.

The Labour government saw the importance of familiarising our children and youths to the use of tablets for learning and tangibly enhanced the necessary structures as early as 2013. This was implemented successfully despite the criticism and jibes of certain groups that never saw the woods for the trees! Both as a politician and as a mother I cannot imagine how our educational system would have coped during shut-down had we not been prepared digitally for online education at the peak of the pandemic! We are blessed indeed and have all the necessary tools to move forward and adapt to the ever-changing realities Covid-19 has brought upon us.

 

Adaptation skills

We have excellent educators that are continuously finding ways of adapting and are open to new ways of delivering quality education. The government is on the ball and doing its utmost to help in their training and support. It is now up to each and every one of us to join forces and collaborate. The way forward might seem daunting but together as a team we will succeed in securing the continuity of our educational system.

It is important for us to realise that Malta is not alone. Covid-19 is still raging across the world and governments are still deliberating on when and how the educational institutions can reopen. The decisions that need to be taken - and are actually being taken in most countries - have huge economic and social implications that will most certainly have lasting effects on children, educators, parents and society at large. Staying safe and healthy is a top priority, but circumventing risks with proper precautionary protocols is the intelligent and responsible way forward.

 

Fundamental rights

Indeed the UN is right in stating last August that preventing a learning crisis from becoming a generational catastrophe requires urgent action from all. Education is not only a fundamental human right. It is an enabling right with direct impact on the realization of all other human rights. As a mother myself I fully endorse all the recommendations given by the United Nations and note with satisfaction that the government of which I am part is on the right track. There are four recommendations set by the UN. Suppressing transmission of the virus on the parameters that ensure safety of all, planning for inclusive re-opening, listening to the voices of all concerned and coordinating with the health authorities.

Protecting education, financing and coordinating for a tangible impact, by injecting public funds into education are of utmost importance. We are very active in enhancing a resilient educational system for an equitable and sustainable development and likewise re-imagining education and accelerating change in teaching and learning methods. This has been an ongoing exercise. We are most definitely focusing on preventing dropouts, offering employability programs, supporting our educators, removing barriers to connectivity and finding new ways to impart learning in a flexible and effective way - no matter all hurdles brought about by the pandemic.  

 

In safe hands

We should rest our heads that whatever decisions are taken regarding our children’s education, they are being taken with great responsibility and based on the expert input of all stakeholders. No stone will be left unturned. The safety and well-being of our most precious human resources were and always will be top priority. United we will definitely find a way to rise up to the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

The essential concept of education is not made up only of syllabi and curricula. It entails personal development, formation of character and empowerment towards team-building that will be crucial while our kids grow up. Such skills are attained in a school setting and are hardly acquired through other alternative online methods.  Let us be positive. Let us avoid the usual gossip, purposely fabricated to alarm people, Indeed, we are in safe hands.  Our children are our future.  They are not just precious static icons to embellish our shelves. Education is the key to their continued progress.  It is the best way of protecting their future! 

 

Gozo and Covid-19

Last Wednesday the Gozo Business Chamber and the Gozo Tourism Association presented detailed reports and findings of the impact of Covid-19 on the Gozitan economy to the Standing Committee on Gozo Affairs which I have the honour to chair. The negative trends featured in these reports show clearly the importance of continuing to address Gozo’s double insularity with vigour in the years to come.  

The Standing Committee’s significance and importance have once more stood out during this meeting. So much so that now, Gozitan stakeholders are able to present clear and precise forecasts to the Ministry of Finance on the road ahead. Apart from presenting accurate statistical data, the GBC and GTA have also forwarded tailor-made solutions and recommendations that will help in Gozo’s short and long-term economic recovery from the pandemic.  

I am confident that the successes achieved by the Gozitan community in the last few years will not have been in vain. The spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation and resilience that is so characteristic to us Gozitans will prevail and overcome all obstacles. United as one front I am positive that Gozo will find new ways to surpass this trying period and emerge stronger than ever before with new concepts that will definitely give value-added to the island's future.