There is a lot to be said about Malta’s education system. From being too exam oriented, which could mean that those who learn differently might not be getting their fair chance, to whether we are focusing too little, or from the other end of the stick, too much on subjects that will just prepare people for current Maltese economic sectors.

There are arguments from all sides on these issues of course. In terms of the economy it makes sense to gear the education system towards people going into jobs that will help Maltese economic sectors. From the cultural growth aspect, then we need more investment in humanities and the arts. Realistically speaking, a balance should be found.

But then there is another area. Former Member of Parliament Marlene Farrugia passed a particular comment in an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday. While speaking about the political mindset in Malta, where many are still either red or blue, she spoke of the need for this mentality to change. “We need to revisit that mindset. It is also a question of preparing the people, through education, critical thinking, creative thinking, and being analytical in our thoughts."

Later in the interview, she stressed the need to give the most importance to the formation of the upcoming generation, rather than just thinking about teaching them Maths, English and other academic subjects. She spoke of the importance of teaching values, how to act, how to hold a conversation, how to formulate an argument so that children would be analytical and critical. "That is the most important thing."

We should question whether just teaching students subjects in school is helping the next generation enough. We must equally focus efforts on building critical thinking capabilities, teaching them the values that make Malta,  Malta, and how to be analytical.

In a separate interview with the same newspaper, PN MP Justin Schembri, said we have young people who are programmed to go to exams, and not learning how to live in a society. “Good results and academic successes are important, but the crucial and most important part of a child’s education, is that they leave the 11 years of obligatory school with the necessary basic skills they need in life, and how to utilise them,” Schembri said.

“We need an education which reaches all children and helps them grow into becoming more critical and to see things in a subjective, objective and analytical way. This is something children nowadays lack across the board,” he said. He also said that when speaking to employers, he realised that employers are not finding enough Maltese youths who are prepared for the working world. 

Improving the critical thinking capabilities of our children, while also teaching them the skills needed by employers will, among other things, mean that they would be better prepared for the world. It would also mean that they would be more productive, be better able to think outside of the box, and be better able to analyse what is going on around them in a critical way. 

“We became too dependent on rushing to teach the syllabus. A substantial number of youths are still failing despite choosing an academic route. We must forget the idea that youths and children will learn basic life skills without being taught,” Schembri said. 

What Farrugia and Schembri said makes sense, and we should review and look into ways to improve our education system. If the current education system isn’t preparing youths in the best way possible from all aspects, then it needs to be revisited.