"We can teach our children to flap their wings, but conditions have to be just right for them to fly."  - Annie Campbell, British academic and author

Albert Einstein once said that once you stop learning, you start dying. Cicero added that to be ignorant of the past is to be forever a child. Both statements are correct. So, during a speech I delivered last Sunday, I made it a point to mention former Labour Ministers of Education that have over the last 60 years helped to shape the educational system we are enjoying today.

Remembering our past

A Labour Minister for Education who inspired me as a school girl was Miss Agatha Barbara. She was the first Maltese woman to hold a ministerial portfolio as Minister of Education in 1955. Her reforms to the Educational system changed the face of our country forever. She introduced compulsory full-time education for girls and boys from the age of five to fourteen.   In a few years she built and opened 44 schools in most villages for a mass influx of students from all walks of life. She gave student-teachers annual grants as pocket money and wavered their college fees.

For the first time in history education became compulsory and free. The Labour government provided all students with free textbooks, free transport and free medical attention.

Ms Barbara was also instrumental in opening the first special schools in 1956. This move changed the lives of hundreds of children who because of disabilities where kept hidden behind closed doors. Thanks to her, today, persons with disabilities can lead independent and productive lives within the community.

It also gave girls the opportunity to study the sciences and when she was Minister for Education again in 1971 she continued to reform the educational system through the Education Act. School-leaving age was increased to the age of 16. She later opened trade schools for girls and boys, The Schools of Music and Drama and the Felinberg Institute of Electronic Technology in 1973. She was also instrumental in abolishing fees to enter University.  

Past and present

 These crucial reforms in education helped to change Malta's fortunes particularly in the years leading to Freedom Day in 1979. Labour knew that education was the key to economic independence and self-reliance. It gave young people the tools to succeed, flourish and reach their goals and aspirations.

The ripple effect of education transformed Malta into an independent nation-state whose  human resources per capita, far exceed that of larger countries.   A sense of cultural and national identity became indelibly etched in hearts that successive foreign rulers had crushed repeatedly over the centuries.  As a nation we had come full circle thanks to revolutionary and visionary individuals within the Labour Party like Ms Agatha Barbara.

Inclusivity is the key

We know that the whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows. Inclusivity is the key! It was in the past and still is crucial to our continued evolution. Inclusion and equitable education is top of the agenda worldwide. Leaving no one behind is at the core of the United Nations sustainable development Goal 4. The socio-economic effects of Covid-19 have shown more than ever that education needs everyone and everyone needs education.

Without education the world will come to a stand-still. This also means that we must all pull one rope.  In today's world, we cannot simply rely on our immediate surroundings. We are part of a global village. All nations are interdependent and it is only through continued inclusive education for all that we can survive and succeed.

Quality and sustainability

Education is a shared commitment between dedicated teachers, motivated students and enthusiastic parents with high expectations.   On a national level, we can do our part by joining forces. By collaborating - Government, NGO's, teachers, parents, young people and the business community - we can create educational solutions that ensure continuity both now, during the pandemic, and after the crisis is over. Education of our children and youths must also include non-formal education that supports parents, teachers and frontliners. This is the only way we can deliver outstanding, quality and sustainable education in the future.  

The Collective Consultation of NGO’s on Education 2030 elaborates on this concept : students need to develop global citizen concepts and apart from ordinary schooling, need social and emotional learning. I agree with this statement and believe that this holistic approach to education is as important as formal education itself. It is essential if we are to have upright and well-balanced citizens in the future.

In Marshman’s words, holistic education focuses on the fullest development of the person, empowering individuals to become the very best that they can be and enabling them to experience all they can get from life in reaching their goals.

Our children, our focus

As a mother of two young people I am sure that this approach to learning reflects what every mother wishes and aspires for her children. The hardships every parent experiences to ensure that their children are better off than they themselves were whilst growing up, is at the core of every decision we take individually and collectively worldwide.

Let us therefore shed our differences and focus on the most precious commodity we are entrusted with for a few short years – our children. They are key to our future. We can together, irrespective of our status or abilities – make the world a better place to be.  As Minister for Education and a mother, I am here to serve to the best of my ability. I am convinced that through dialogue and collaboration we can overcome all obstacles.

Together we can ensure that the windows of opportunity opened for us in the past, continue to open in the future.  This can be realised by developing an inclusive and sustainable educational system built on firm foundations. This is the best way forward for us to create the proper conditions for our children to flourish and succeed in life!