Interview • October 19 2003

State schools will be as good as the others

Education minister Louis Galea has arguably one of the most important and difficult jobs on the island. Over the years state schools have always been thought of as inferior to church and private ones, but as Julian Manduca found out Galea is determined to change all that

Minister Louis Galea had all the promise of a high-flying politician as a young lawyer and in spite of having his share of scandal in the past he has retained some of the most important posts within the government in a political career spanning thirty years at the top.
Galea is now responsible for our education, and he has the unenviable task of improving our oft-maligned state schools.
Before the interview started my mind went back to what educationalist Mary Darmanin had told me in an interview some months back.
Darmanin had said that not enough importance was being put into teaching and learning, into developing the school curriculum. She insisted that students learned best from each other and how important it was for students with different social background to be in class together.
Following the usual pre interview niceties, I put it to Dr Galea whether he thought our educational levels were improving and if so, what evidence he saw for this.
"We can take a number of measurable outcomes in terms of academia. In 1999 we carried out a diagnostic test with all seven-year-olds in all schools, including church and private ones, in Malta and Gozo," Galea says almost before I finish my first question.
"The test was carried out in conjunction with the literacy units at the university and British experts. The test was in Maltese and English and gave us a benchmark. Close to 14 percent of those children were encountering difficulties in their Maltese literacy and close to 25 percent had difficulties with English."
"We repeated the test with the same children three years later, and the percentages went down to 4 percent for Maltese and 8-10 percent."
It is of course expected that after three years schooling children do improve their language skills, and I put it to Galea whether tests have been carried out on seven-year-olds more recently. "We are doing that now and we will include a numeracy test, so that next time it will be Maths, English and Maltese."
Another measure Galea said would be to look at the Junior Lyceum exam, "which is not taken by the entire age cohort, but by ninety percent of pupils, the percent rate of success for state school students moved from around 30 percent in the early eighties to around 45 percent in the early nineties 54 percent last year."
Last year previous Labour education spokesperson Evarist Bartolo had showered disgrace on the government when he quoted the last census figures (for 1995) that 12 percent of students were leaving school illiterate. Galea contests those figures and says: "It is not true. If you take the illiteracy rate as internationally judged, in the age group up to 20 years our illiteracy rate is 2 percent."
The UN definition of illiteracy is a test of whether a person can read and write one sentence in their native language, a somewhat reductionist view of illiteracy.
If the criterion is changed to literacy for employability, however the deficiency is greater, but Galea says that, so far, no research has been done on employability in Malta.
While many Maltese enjoy an acceptable standard of education, it is agreed that certain pockets of the Islands fall behind the rest.
"There is no doubt that there are differences, because obviously educational outcomes are influenced not only by the public sector contributions, but is also dependent on what happens in the homes and in society."
The idea of mixing students from socially disadvantaged areas with others from better off areas, has been considered: "so far, experience has shown that at a primary level, keeping people with similar students does not seen to affect the outcome of the students. It could be the case at the secondary level.
"But what we are trying to do is intervene with programmes carried out by the Education Division and the Foundation for Educational Services. We find that when we intervene early enough, the greater the experience students have with these programmes, the more convinced we are becoming that we need to be aware of learning difficulties at an increasing young age, even when they start kindergarten."
"Combining the efforts of school and the parents, through ‘Id F’id,’ the programme for the parents and the ‘Hilti’ programme for the children, we are now seeing that this the is type of strategy that yields results.
"We need to extend the programmes to all schools, so far they are up and running in twenty schools, but we will be extending them to all primary schools."
Over recent months there has been much talk about schools attaining greater independence and I wonder whether this means we may have very different schools.
Galea begins: "The challenge that all educational systems is the issue of quality verification and quality assurance. In Malta’s case the institutional set up is such that the Education Division is fulfilling a dual conflicting role because it is acting as both the regulator as well as the manager of the state schools. With our present situation it is not really possible to move into quality verification, as one should.
"We are now looking to separate the two functions. We have always been accustomed to central organisation for all state educational structures, but now, with my policy unit, we are looking to decentralise."
"We are already far advanced with the Malta Union of Teachers to devise a role for heads of schools, education offices and assistant directors of education so that they would be more involved in quality verification and quality assurance. I hope we shall be able to conclude an agreement with the MUT on this very soon.
Turning to the schools independence, Galea says: "A scheme whereby state schools are more self-managed and autonomous requires much thought. Our point of departure is a critical analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of state schools. One of the weaknesses is fragmentation."
"The schools are not on a level playing field for all students, there is the level for state schools, one for church schools and one for private fee-paying schools."
"This reduces the choice of parents as to where to send their children and it is incumbent on the government to upgrade the credibility and the quality of its own schools so that parents will not continue to suffer, both in many instances from the perception, and in some instances the reality of differences between state and other schools."
Galea believes that the gap can be bridged and says: "In terms of the investment that is required for the building and furnishing to state schools, the government has made its decision to upgrade and is already implementing that decision. In terms of other investment, including the number and quality of teachers and the tools needed, I think we are very close. In fact state schools have, perhaps better resources and better tools."
It is a common belief that richer people tend to send their children to church or private schools rather than state, but Galea says: "That is the right of parents to consider what is best for their children. My job is to upgrade the quality of state education and I see in the future, and when remains unclear, that while church schools will continue to be church owned and hopefully inspired by church orders or identities, but I have no doubt that as time goes by the differences between the identities of a church school and a state school will diminish. The other big question is whether parents will be able to continue to send their children to fee-paying schools.
"I have to move fast to ensure that if a parent is finding it difficult to keep up with school fees they will not be constrained to go through extreme sacrifices to do so. The state provision ought to provide quality education. Already a number of parents are making that choice, but I would like parents from all localities to make the same choice.
"I think that thousands of parents are consciously making the choice of choosing state kindergartens, primary schools and, if they make it to Junior Lyceum, to there. Many of them will not go out of their way to change to a private or church school."
While what Galea says may be true, it is also true that church schools are inundated with requests for admission.
While much effort seems to be at hand for younger students, uncertainty remains about the final product, the secondary school leaver and the university graduates.
With Malta joining the EU soon, it will have to provide the human resources for the key positions. Galea realises that Malta’s educational efforts still leave some lacunae. "We do not have enough immediately. In some areas we do have enough and even in abundance. We have geared ourselves to start providing trained people. I have no doubt that we have the capability and institutions to train these people.
"An area which requires more people, is that of qualified technicians, in engineering, mechanical, electrical, electronic, information technology. That is what MCAST is doing.
"MCAST has substantially increased the opportunity for young people to take these courses and from September we have move into a higher level. The higher national diploma means we would be achieving first class technicians. At that level we need about 500 more over the next four or five years. We need more engineers in the environmental field and that of agribusiness."
"We need to monitor the food chain from A to Z and for this purpose we have set up the Institute for Agribusiness Studies and we will have graduates in four years time."
A bit late for EU membership, but at least something is moving.
The university is a totally different place today than it was during the years when it was thought Malta needed no arts or science graduates, but it has often been suggested that what it has gained in quantity, it has lost in quality. Galea does not deny: "That is what everybody says today about all universities in Europe. Once one goes for the massification of tertiary education, the quantity of the quality students is increased, but so is that of the mediocre ones. When one opens to the masses, the law of averages gives us that result.
"Nevertheless the quality has improved in the sense that we now have more educated people than we had thirty, forty, fifty, years ago."
Many employers still complain about the quality of graduates and Galea agrees that there is room for improvement.
"There is no doubt that there is a great of improvement remains to be achieved, but we have started with MCAST because it is more appropriate to start there. MCAST is a relative baby and what I am pushing for is to expand MCAST, which already nine institutes, equivalent to nine faculties.
"MCAST is already achieving higher levels of training through the Higher National Diploma already in three of the institutes, but from September 2004, I want the prospectus to ensure that each and every course at their various levels are increased in their content by a new type of experience.
"I want to add the character formation aspect. By way of obligatory credits students will have to undertake practical and theoretical training in sport, art, cultural appreciation, work experience, environmental issues, and will have to work with voluntary organisations. There will also be a spiritual training. We want them to become people who understand the concept of work ethic, and this cannot have any meaning without a point of reference. There has to be a spiritual, non denominational element."
"At MCAST I believe I will be able to introduce these ideas, but I cannot suffer the idea of ‘letting the students decide what to do.’ At university we have seen what happens, out of thousands of students only a few hundred interest themselves in extra curricula activities. I do not want to leave that to chance at MCAST. We will establish credits and include them in the certification system, and in this manner I think we will be addressing the requirements of employers."
While streaming is an integral part of education in Malta, in an ideal situation Galea would like to see change. "My gut feeling is to oppose streaming, but I would not change the system unless we have a better system that gains a wide consensus by all stake holders and we can offer an alternative that guarantees education both to the high flyers and those with learning difficulties. We are, however, researching the options."
Education is arguably the single most important issue facing this country, but Galea besides having his particular responsibilities is also a member of the Cabinet of government and one that has recently been criticised for non-action. I ask him whether this has been the case: "Not at all. I understand that the public legitimately would like to see a government that is on the move each day of the week. But that also means a government that is researching the issues, getting to grips with the ins and outs of the complex issues of the areas under consideration. My impression is that now, in October people are no longer saying the government is not moving. We are tackling the drydocks issue, pensions, health, education and so many areas."
Doubts have already crept in about Malta fulfilling its EU obligations, but Galea believes we are relatively on course on all our commitments. "If I look at the founder members and try to judge compliance you will see than these do not comply on all issues with today’s Aquis."
Not all will agree with Galea, and while doubts linger about the government the Labour Party in Opposition is also call for concern. "The Opposition is trying to find its feet. It is going through a very important internal process of rethinking, reorganisation and reorientation of policies. It is a bit early to judge."
Is it an effective Opposition: "It is only natural that at the moment they are putting their house in order."
Dr Louis Galea is not a front runner to succeed Eddie Fenech Adami, but his candidacy is likely (see page 3 story).
Had his past not faced two instances which tainted his reputation, Galea would probably be a favourite for the PN leadership position and I ask him whether he has any regrets about his past. "A politician with thirty years experience is bound to have his share of mistakes, but I do not believe that when people judge me they do not do so unfairly. I have matured a lot and learned a lot."
Several years back Galea was ridiculed for claiming to be a part-time farmer in a land development issue and was accused of mishandling the Auxiliary Workers Training Scheme."
"It is not a question of regret, with the wisdom of hindsight it is an issue of the management of those situations, because I do not at all believe that the AWTS was a bad thing at all, and I believe I did a very good job in managing the transition of Mintoff’s military workers corps of 9,000 and another 8,000 or so irregularly engaged."
"Obviously one makes some mistakes and then other people make other mistakes and obviously the buck always stops with the politician and I accept that. If I was to do it all again I would ensure greater control, but that depends on the human resources. I always accept political responsibility even if I am not at fault myself."