Notes on Development Education in Malta
Vince Caruana November 2001
for Kopin,
2, Juniper Lane Birkirkara, MALTA BKR 04
(kopinmalta@email.com)
Introduction
Development Education (DE) in Malta is still in its early stages. There are a few disjointed efforts – some of them of a very high quality - but no Formal Structure, National Strategy, or Development Education Association.
This may be due to various factors:
·
NGDOs in
Malta are few and under-funded;
·
Work related
to development has often been carried out through missionary organisations who
focus more on appeals for funding rather than education;
·
Traditionally
NGOs worked on their own – only recently have there been important developments
in networking such as the establishment of a Maltese NGDO Platform.
Development Education within schools
The topics traditionally associated with
DE are carried out in Secondary Schools through Section IV of the Social
Studies syllabus. This section carries
the title of GLOBAL CONNECTION AND INTERNATIONAL ISSUES and discusses the
following:
- Distribution
of wealth; poverty and affluence; aid to developing countries;
international solidarity;
- Stewardship
of the World; the right use of land resources, industry, chemicals and the
right attitude and actions of governments; pressures for change
(organisations like Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace);
- Fair
Trade; protectionism; free trade; interdependence; the trade gap;
- Conflict
in the world and working for peace; Human Rights (Groups fighting for
Human Rights);
- Homelessness
and refugees;
- Health
concerns and disease;
- Population:
people and resources; population explosion; the limits to growth; the
growth of cities (Urbanisation);
- Malta
in the world; Malta’s participation in international politics, membership
in international organisation (e.g. UN, Council of Europe, UNESCO, and
others).
The Centre for Faith and Justice (member of the NGDO Platform) has issued a resource pack in the Maltese language for the Social Studies syllabus with the title Ibda ghix fid-Dinja (Start Living in this World). A second edition of this pack is currently in print. Members of the Centre have also organised an in-service course for social studies teachers through the Education Department.
An Environmental Organisation ECO had translated the One World pack (Issued buy the North-South Centre) to the Maltese Language.
Development Education and adult & community education
The Third World Group (member of the NGDO
Platform) has throughout the years involved itself with various DE activities
in the non-formal sector of Education.
Of particular mention are:
- A DE evening course of 12 lectures for youths and adults involved
in voluntary work.
- The African Week - a packed
week of activities including films, music, crafts display, fair trade
crafts market, seminars, and African culture - to promote a realistic
image of Africa and its strengths and problems to the general public.
- The Third World Group is participating in a three-year project Mediterranean
2000 coordinated by a leading Italian NGO and is currently preparing
educational material on subjects such as Fair Trade, Ethical Finance;
Agro-Ecology; Desertification and Globalization.
Also active in the non-formal sphere is
Koperattiva Kummerc Gust (member of the NGDO Platform) – Malta’s only Fair
Trade Organisation. KKG has often
participated in National Fairs and considers the Education of the General
Public on Fair Trade Issues to be one of its main objectives.
Development Education and higher education
There are no formal credits on
Development Education at university and the terminology Development Education
is not used. However a few courses can be said to have components of
Development Education. In particular
the course on Environmental Education offered to prospective teachers carries a
small component of Development Education.
For some years a course on Peace Education has also been offered.
There is also a lack of human resources
specifically qualified in Development Education.
Development Education Centres
There are currently no Development
Education Centres in Malta. The three
members of the Forum for Justice and Cooperation have often shown interest in
such an eventuality but are however currently hindered through a lack of
financial and human resources.
Note 1: The seven members of the Maltese NGDO Platform are Kopin (coordinator); Third World Group; Koperattiva Kummerc Gust; Jesuit Refugee Service; Centre for Faith and Justice; Moviment Graffiti; and Voluntiera Lajci Missjunarji.
Note 2: Kopin, Third World Group and Koperattiva Kummerc Gust comprise the Forum for Justice and Cooperation.