Educators and professionals press on extra-curricular activities

Individuals from various academic and corporate backgrounds came together to discuss the needs of the educational and employment sector, calling for more attention to non-formal education

6 October 2016, 2:26pm
by Jeanelle Mifsud

2 min read

Those present at the conference emphasised the need for more diverse education

Educators, professionals and representatives from the ministry of education concurred that extra-curricular activities provide the necessary skills to bridge the skills gap, yet remain undervalued by the education system.

Coming together at a conference organised by the ministry discussing the New Skills Agenda for Europe, individuals from various sectors discussed how to improve the quality and relevance of skills formation, make skills and qualifications more visible and comparable, and improve skills intelligence and information for better career choices.

The New Skills Agenda for Europe was launched this June by the European Commission to boost employability, competitiveness and growth across the EU.

Yet comments from speakers and delegates alike focused on the need to emphasise extra-curricular activities.

“When I was younger, my routine consisted of going to school, going home, and watching TV. It was only when I went to university and saw all the organisation that I realised the importance of being active, and if I hadn’t joined an organisation I wouldn’t have been able to hold the position I have today,” one panellist said.

“Extra-curricular activities are so undervalued, as are other non-traditional subjects,” a delegate who identified herself as a PSD teacher said.

“We have subjects like PSD and sports which are pushed to the side to make way for other subjects, because there is always more and more pressure for our students to study harder and harder and achieve higher and higher grades. What we end up with is children who are inclined towards non-traditional subjects which turn out to detest school and education, because this environment makes them feel stupid.”

Concluding the conference, strategist Alex Grech iterated an issue that arose during the discussion, namely that corporations need to take responsibility for their employees and contribute towards their training and towards honing the required skills.

“Education is not about finding a job, it is about empowering young people,” he said.