Two contexts – one response! – Andrew Azzopardi

The sound of the doorbell. We hold our breadth as mum walked down the 23 steps to our door. We lived in a maisonette in a very conspicuous road on the periphery of Birkirkara.

I remained upstairs bunching close to my elder brother, half shutting my eyes as I knew that the decision taken by my parents to let these fellow students into the house could have dire consequences on our family, a risk we knew something about as my dad had his share of bellicosity directed towards him for standing up to what he believed.

Mum slowly and tepidly opened the door.

Because, every time the carillon rang my mother was expecting a police officer to push the door back on her.

But this was not the case. Instead, a regiment of students came striding in – a scene redolent of Schindler’s List as Jews were shepherded away to hide from the Nazi oppressors.

As I said, in started coming the students of my school year.

As 14, 15-year-olds we were educated by the Jesuits into believing that what matters in life, first and foremost, is being a person for others and having a commitment towards social justice. My parents showed us in practice that if we want society to move forward we need to bring all these words they told us at College to life.

Finally, the teacher came in. It must have been Ms. Treeby my favorite teacher ever and a couple of others who went from one house to another teaching us literature, language, math and all the rest… above all coaching us into believing that there is no challenge that can’t be overcome by collective training.

As soon as they trudged in, my school friends and teachers were directed to the most decorated room of my parents’ house. We sat around the lovely black stained shiny table with a mahogany top, probably the finest piece of furniture my parents had, all set up to serve as our classroom.

We wanted to learn.

We knew that if we were to overcome the crises the country was facing at the time, the only way was to learn; to absorb knowledge because teaching is strength, schooling is community and education is what takes you to the next life transition.

I must admit – I was never the ideal student. Always on edge, dying to rush off to play, to train

All I had on my mind was to use up the excess energy I had in me. It must have been a nightmare for my teachers and lecturers later on (I can clearly recall being chucked out of class and lecture rooms a number of times)

sports, to run the cross-country. All I had on my mind was to use up the excess energy I had in me. It must have been a nightmare for my teachers and lecturers later on (I can clearly recall being chucked out of class and lecture rooms a number of times).

All of this was happening during the 1984-85 scholastic year, remembered for the nine-week teachers’ strike which left so many teachers stranded with hardly enough food to put on the table were it not for the closeknit family.

True, this left us wanting of school buildings but we all know that school is a state, a place where to be educated in critical thinking – teaching really and truly is in the mind. Yes, we found a way back-then.

It went on like that for some weeks.

I believe that this action brought communities together and we managed to hang on in there, to take on the challenges that were thrown at us.

There was that underlying feeling of doing something good which evil didn’t manage to tarnish.

Dash to 2020.

Once again children and young people are, for a completely different reason, being left wanting for school. Two similar but different instances that left children and youth just about orphaned from their right to education.

Never heard, or thought I would hear, so many parents say that children and young people are missing school or Uni!

But here we are in 2020 taking on COVID-19.

So true, this is a completely different context.

But once again it is the educators who will show us that standing up to this test is a necessity.

And whilst it was good that schools and University were made to shut down (this time round for a justifiable reason) it leaves a similar unnerving feeling.

But then again, our educators stood up to be counted. This most beautiful of professions took it on itself to challenge any attempt to stop students from learning.

And teachers and lecturers found ways how to use technology to keep delivering lessons, using community radio, socials and other creative means.

We will remain there for our students; academics, RSOs, administrators all focused on making sure we keep delivering knowledge to our students.

Because education is blessedness.

Instruction makes people better persons.

Learning brings the nation closer to each other.

Lesson to be learnt: No COVID19, no political unrest, will ever stop our educators, because we will keep finding ways to spread the good news that knowledge brings with it.