We often hear about the work being carried out to prepare and implement visions, the most recent is the Vision for Malta 2050 whereby according to the respective ministry, work is ongoing and should be completed in the first quarter of this year.  As one of the major social partners through our confederation For.U.M., we participated actively in the consultation sessions about this vision and shall continue to provide our input through the national fora. A vision of a country needs to reflect the vision of its citizens. I am sharing my vision in the form of a wish list for an improved education, employment and wellbeing of all.

Education

Education remains central in any vision of a country. Without investment in education there cannot be investment in the invaluable human resource of the country and this will affect all sectors involving the human element. I wish to see an education which is valued by everyone, where providers of the education and educators are respected, where the outcomes are praised, where the shortcomings are seen as challenges that can be overcome, where individuals are at the centre of the educational process, where growth is a collective effort, where the community works together to educate a student, where learning carried out in schools is complemented at home, where students enjoy learning, where love and respect guide school relationships, where differences are celebrated, where support services are available, where teaching and learning takes place beyond the confines of the school, where students learn from each other, where teaching and assessment are merged, where technology complements teaching without replacing it, where the school is open to everyone.

Employment

Work is not only the means to earn a living but it provides the individual with a scope, a mission to give a contribution to the country and to society. I wish to see employees being respected irrespective of the work they carry out, where the human relationship between the employer and the employee prevails, where employees are not numbers but individuals, where employees do not have to take industrial actions to obtain what is due to them, where the differences between an employer and an employee are due to their roles and not their status, where females and males are given the same opportunities, work conditions and pay packages, where technology assists employees without replacing them, where opportunities for promotions are available to all, where teamwork is an opportunity for growth, where measures to assist families in keeping their careers are in place and implemented, where employment contracts value the employee without exploitation, where job mobility is facilitated, where the traditional 40-hour week is reduced, where employers do not choose foreign employees over Maltese nationals to pay them less, where part-time work is not necessary to earn a decent living, where employment choice is not determined by the need to meet expenses.

Wellbeing

This term has been raised in the national agenda particularly since the pandemic where a re-dimension of priorities were set both individually and collectively. We are still speaking about wellbeing since it is lacking. I wish to see that wellbeing is not just a buzzword but that concrete actions are taken to improve the wellbeing of each individual, where the level of tension and difficulties to earn a living and to raise a family are addressed, where young individuals and couples can afford housing without taking loans to be repaid until their retirement, where households are not made of two rooms like pigeon lofts, where we value aesthetics in all projects including housing, where the environment is central in all decisions, where the overdevelopment trend is stopped and reversed, where Maltese language and culture are valued and celebrated, where couples have the confidence to bring and raise children in this world, where families are assisted to raise their children in their homes, where economic measures are not taken at the detriment of the individual and the collective interest,  where collaboration replaces competition, where we are not afraid to outline our weaknesses to better ourselves, where we seek support when we feel that issues are beyond us, where we have the courage, support and resilience to go on with life despite all adversities.

Marco Bonnici is president of the Malta Union of Teachers