Education should not be extended to 18 says Paulo Friere Institute

Sep 19 2021

The Paolo Friere Institute issued a statement in regards to the maximum mandatory age when it comes to education in Malta. The institute highlighted how education should be one of quality as opposed to extending the required length of time a student has t attend school. This. the Institute highlighted, is so as to ensure that students do not lose their passion and interest for education early on life, as studying until the age of 18 might be a daunting task for many. It also spoke about how Malta did not reach the EU target which attempts to keep the amount of students who leave school early less than 10%.

Over the years, the Institute developed and issued programs for both kids of all ages and their older guardians to look at education through a more positive lens. apart from such programs, which involve things such as reading clubs, the institute highlighted five practices which could replace the extension of mandatory school age. These include: working with vulnerable citizens to see the benefit of education, infrastructural investments, , improving teacher’s quality of work, more practical subjects and a refocusing away from examinations and onto interests and student passions.

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Photo Source: freeed

Higher teacher salaries and classroom AC’s pledged by PN

Sep 19 2021

Opposition Leader Bernard Grech has pledged to improve and increase more regularly the starting salaries for teachers. The Nationalist Party has promised a radical overhaul should it be elected to government, with Grech stating that a generational leap as to how educators are viewed in society is needed. Holding a Q&A in Attard on Saturday, Grech highlighted how not only educator salaries should be higher upon starting out, but should increase more regularly over a period of time.

The Nationalist Party leader said that under his government, increases to teacher salaries in the public sector will be reflected in Church and private schools through direct assistance and tax credits. Grech also pledged for investment in school infrastructure. This, he said, is to adapt to rising temperatures and hit environmental targets. He vouched for schools becoming more energy efficient, air conditioned classrooms, and even allowing schools to be used comfortably during summer by the community. When it comes to students, better technological equipment and internet access should be granted.

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Photo Source: Bernard Grech FB, Pixabay

US to buy and donate millions of Pfizer jabs to the world

Sep 18 2021

The US Biden administration is set to buy hundreds of millions more doses of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in order to donate to the rest of the world. According to two sources close to the deal, Forbes was informed how this is part of the US’ strategy to increase efforts to share the vaccine with the rest of the global population. 500 million doses are expected to be purchased, but the terms of the deal are not yet finalised.

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An announcement of the purchase is due early next week and is also timed to coincide exactly with the UN General Assembly meeting. White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients declined any comments on the deal but did state that vaccine access will be a big topic of conversation at the gathering this upcoming week.

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Pfizer spokeswoman Amy Rose also spoke about the deal, saying that Pfizer is ‘firmly committed to doing all we can to ensure equitable and affordable access to our COVID-19 vaccines for people around the world.’ So far, around 5.82 billion doses have been administered around the globe, but less than 2% of the population living in low income countries received even one dose.

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This City has been named the European Green Capital of 2023… Could Malta learn from it?

Sep 18 2021

Tallinn, the Estonian capital, has beaten the competition from Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria in becoming the European Green Capital of 2023. The competition, which is organised by the European Commission, rewards and recognises the efforts of cities that ‘preserve and improve an environment that supports both the living and the economy.’ This achievement for Estonia will make its capital a role model to all other cities across Europe and the world in sustainability and urban improvement. With 75% of the EU’s population living in cities, the award is presented to any city which has at least 100,000 inhabitants which are willing to engage in environmental change.

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The twelve environmental criteria the competition judges upon could be a perfect road map for Malta’s very own environmental initiatives and authorities to take note of. Concerning everything from biodiversity to eco-innovations to sustainable urban mobility, these green-minded targets could boost the local context’s framing of how to sustain our environment. Countless works, by authorities, NGOs and even individuals, have sought to work on the island’s environment. Given the right initiatives, the island could very well aim for similar awards – and even if it none are won, the results would still be worth it.

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