President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca delivered the closing speech at a conference entitled ‘Immigration and Education: A Need for a Policy’, organised by the University of Malta Office of the Pro-Rector for Student and Staff Affairs, the Faculty of Social Wellbeing, the Faculty of Education and the Ministry for Education and Employment.
The President said that education is key to inclusion and essential for integration. She went on to say that “we must ensure that migrants are welcomed into our education system, especially children and young people who experience additional vulnerability and precarity due to their status, as migrants, asylum-seekers, or refugees”, whilst adding that education embraces all the necessary dynamics, to reach out, and make all people aware of the enrichment that diversity can bring to communities and societies.
“We must move, together, towards the acknowledgement and appreciation of our islands’ diversity.”
The President said that our educational system, apart from being truly accessible and inclusive, must also instil a sense of pride, as a society, “as we consciously choose to value and to celebrate the richness of our diversity,” and spoke about her first-hand experience, gained through the many visits to schools and other institutions, where it was evident that the dynamic within a school can change in positive ways, when these schools become safe spaces of respect and of the celebration of diversity.
Furthermore, she stated that children and young people must be prepared to appreciate diversity, because if they are not suitably prepared to be active and conscious members of a multicultural society, “ then we shall be losing out on the full enrichment of our democracy”.
She said that when our communities of learning become inclusive and when they become safe spaces of dialogue and discussion, Maltese society as a whole will mature, as it will be enriched. “In order to make this enrichment a reality, we need to build powerful synergies, amongst our authorities, our academics, and our civil society activists,” said the President.
“We must focus on strategies for inclusion”
The President said that the strategies for inclusion on which we must focus must prioritise a positive peace approach, adding that “we must ensure that we stand in respect and solidarity with all the diverse groups, who today make up the social fabric of our Maltese Islands”.
President Coleiro Preca stated that the vital conversation—which has already begun on a national level—about the importance of inclusion, should be adopted as an ongoing process, for continuous evaluation, appraisal and where necessary, change.
“We must keep working, not only within our schools, but also on a broader social strategy, for the empowerment of our whole society. In this context, I see the urgent need for support, at all levels of engagement, including services for psychosocial care and multicultural education”, stated President Coleiro Preca.
The President also shared experience related to an initiative, which the President’s Trust has taken, in collaboration with the Blossom Foundation and St Paul’s Bay Primary School, whereby comprehensive and effective psychosocial support is provided to students within this multicultural school. The President, however, stressed that multiculturalism is not only limited to certain schools, as she has visited schools in Mellieħa, St Julian’s and Sliema amongst others, where a sudden cultural change has practically taken place overnight.
“These, and other schools in Malta need support. Support, not only addressed to both migrant and Maltese children but also opportunities of training for our educational professionals and their complementary staff”, added President Coleiro Preca. She also said that no time is to be lost, because the multiculturalism of our islands is a reality now.
She went on to say that in light of this, our response must be equally realistic, and rooted in a commitment to the dignity of each individual and every community, who, together make up the vibrancy of our contemporary society.
“Education is fundamental when it comes to creating the necessary pathways for the successful inclusion of migrants and refugees into the life of our islands”, stated the President. She also stressed that this does not only apply to school children, but also to the young people and adults who come to Malta, with their own skills and abilities, adding that “we cannot afford to ignore their potential, and the specific contributions that they can make to our workforce”.
The President appealed to the authorities to find innovative and efficient ways of regularising the qualifications and training which many migrants and refugees bring with them, as by doing so, “we shall ensure that the economy is enriched at various skills levels”.
President Coleiro Preca said that effective inclusion and respectful integration through education will be powerful evidence of our commitment to safeguarding universal human rights and to upholding the fundamental freedoms for all of humanity.
“Let us therefore do more to ensure that each and every person, regardless of their country of origin, who calls our islands a home, has access to the same educational opportunities. Let us ensure that each and every person has same opportunity to make a valuable and respected contribution, to the sustainable prosperity and holistic wellbeing of the Maltese Islands”, concluded President Coleiro Preca.