‘Education, in particular compulsory education, should not just be at the service of industry’ – Education Dean
While there is a noticeable skill gap between what is taught and employment requirements, Malta’s education system, in particular compulsory education, should not just be at the service of the industry, the Dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Malta Dr Colin Calleja told The Malta Independent.
During a Cabinet meeting last Tuesday, Prime Minister Robert Abela presented a new economic vision for the country during a special Cabinet meeting, saying that this can be achieved through five points, which include a reform in Malta’s education.
In terms of education, Abela said that the current education system is not preparing children enough to be ready to excel in subjects such as mathematics, science, and digital science – subjects which are central to the country’s vision for the next 10 to 20 years. He said that there has to be added emphasis in the coming years on subjects such as life sciences, robotics, coding, software development, artificial intelligence, and industry 4.0 amongst others.
The Malta Independent reached out to the Dean of the Education Faculty Dr Colin Calleja, Malta’s Union of Teachers (MUT) President Marco Bonnici, as well as Malta Employers’ Association (MEA) Director General Joseph Farrugia, to get their professional opinion on the PM’s vision.
Vision for Malta’s Education System
Calleja agreed that Malta’s current education system, in particular compulsory and pre-tertiary years, are still not equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and understandings required for being successful in the world of tomorrow.
“I believe that there is still much to do in developing curricula that emphasis creativity, logical reasoning and problem solving as part of their core skill set.”
Having said this, he explained that while Malta might not be doing enough in the areas of technology and digital sciences, one also needs to understand that exposure to these knowledges on its own will not lead to better preparation for a future that is still unknown to us.
“Teaching methodologies may also need to be updated to stimulate more interest in these subjects. It is envisaged that most jobs generated in the EU in the coming 15 years will be in those areas. Malta cannot afford to lag behind if we want to shift towards higher value-added productive activities and be competitive as a nation.”
“Maybe a big shift in teaching should be that we move to more ‘active’ or ‘problem-based’ learning that engage students’ natural curiosity, rather than simply presenting them with information.”
In his opinion, Malta’s education system needs to equip its students with 21st Century skills; namely, critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, information literacy, media literacy, technology literacy and flexibility, leadership, initiative, productivity and social skills.
“These are skills that should permeate all curricula – our students need to be able to think critically, outside the box and with others while being able to communicate their thoughts and understanding to others through different forms of technology to reach different audiences. They should also have the skill to make sense of the information received by sieving through large amounts of information and choosing what is truly relevant.”
This must then be paired with values such as academic humility, honesty, trustworthiness, fairness, respect towards others and responsibility towards society.
MEA Director General Farrugia also agrees with there being a mismatch between qualifications and the requirements of industry and economic restructuring.
“There are numerous factors that contribute to this situation, amongst them that many parents still push children towards qualifications that carry a high perceived status, gender stereotyping and an overall perception that science subjects are harder to follow,” Farrugia said.
He believes that this issue can be tackled by changing such attitudes and incentivising more students to follow these disciplines, pointing out that, currently, the skills shortage was being met by importation of expertise, thus contributing to the influx of foreign workers in the past years.
“Teaching methodologies may also need to be updated to stimulate more interest in these subjects. It is envisaged that most jobs generated in the EU in the coming 15 years will be in those areas. Malta cannot afford to lag behind if we want to shift towards higher value-added productive activities and be competitive as a nation.”
On the other hand, MUT President Bonnici praised the curriculum taught across all levels saying that it has seen several updates, even recently with the introduction of the Learning Outcomes approach and the introduction of new vocational subjects.
“This is a sign of a healthy educational system which adapts to meet the needs of an ever-evolving world. This is an ongoing process and I think that whilst the current curriculum lacks in terms of areas such as AI, it is evolving in terms of the other areas.”
Skills gap in employment
Asked if they believe that there is a possible skills gap between what is taught and what is currently sought for in employment, Dr Calleja said that while he is sure that there is a gap, one must keep in mind that education, in particular compulsory education, should not just be at the service of industry.
“Industry is so diversified that no education system can prepare learners to all specific requirements that industry needs now and in the future. Schools should see that students are equipped with the mentioned transversal skills to be able to adapt and learn new skills as they develop over time.”
There needs to be an understanding of education that goes beyond the utilitarian notion and emphasises the type of education that transforms the learner into an emancipative learning experience, he added.
He echoed the PM’s focus on science and mathematics in today’s and tomorrow’s world, calling for a need to invest more in qualified educators and in curricula that have these subjects at their core.
Nonetheless, he warned that emphasising these two areas does not mean neglecting other subjects like history, geography and the creative arts which develop other important skills in students; such as giving a sense of the past, a sense of location and open the door to imagination and experimentation, respectively.
“We also need to keep in mind that the foundation for the above is Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The country needs to continue investing in this stage of development and build curricula that are coherent with developments in this area of research and should see to the children’s emotional, social and educational development,” Calleja added.
Other areas which need to be addressed through proper investment include the continuous flux that Malta’s system seems to be in (often leading to teacher stress and policy fatigue), the over-emphasis on summative assessment and a lack of management in reducing the haemorrhage of school dropouts. There is also a need to invest more in teacher education and have more educators who can truly impart knowledge.
Farrugia is also of the idea that there is a skills gap, “one which is being strategically addressed by MCAST through numerous vocational courses.”
Nonetheless, although these efforts were successful, there is still a long way to go as Malta’s school drop-out rate is still high (10%), and the career aspirations of many young people remains that of an unskilled or semi-skilled job in the public sector. In fact, according to Farrugia, businesses have long been reporting that many vacancies in the private sector are not attracting Maltese nationals.
The issue of early school leavers is also something that MUT President Bonnici mentioned, saying that there is too much competition from the employment world with the fishing of employees by employers, leading students to abandon studies for the instant gratification of a job.
He believes that employers will always complain that there is a skill gap between education and the employment world, yet, it is important to note that the philosophy behind the education system is that it enables each student to fulfil their full potential.
“It is not, as expected by many employers to cast students so that they fit their particular work environment. It is the duty of the employer to provide initial jobrelated training to new recruits as this is not the duty of the educational system.”
Bonnici explained that there is a focus on mathematics and science throughout the education system and they are evolving by being taught as part of new subjects, including vocational ones, which are now finding their way in secondary schools not just post-secondary ones.
He warned that, while the practical component makes such subjects attractive, extensive resources are required and unlike state schools, non-state institutions are lacking in equipment due to the financial burden of supplying labs and workshops. The human resource in terms of qualified educators is also an issue.
Relationship between education and employment
The Malta Independent also asked for their honest opinion on the relationship that currently exists between the working and academic world.
Calleja thinks the relationship can be a healthy one if the employment sector understands that preparing young learners for tomorrow’s world through education goes beyond preparing youngsters for a specific job.
He also called for a more holistic, phenomenon-based way of learning. “Maybe a big shift in teaching should be that we move to more ‘active’ or ‘problembased’ learning that engage students’ natural curiosity, rather than simply presenting them with information.”
Farrugia shared Calleja’s sentiment, saying that the role of education is much wider than simply generating skilled employees since it is about inculcating values in students to enable them to function as responsible citizens.
“I believe that this is one area where we are missing out. Employers complain of a deteriorating work ethic which cuts across all levels of skills and professions. It is much easier for employers to re-skill the labour force where necessary than to change the work ethic.”
On a similar note, Bonnici said that, while specialised courses – in areas like aviation, printing and hospitality – create a strong partnership between employers and educational institutions, they may simultaneously be preparing students for the immediate employment on offer rather than for future jobs.