Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1055420
27 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 NOVEMBER 2018 OPINION Evarist Bartolo 37,172 reasons why free education works Evarist Bartolo is Minister for Education and Employment THE United States is often lauded as the land of oppor- tunity. It is indeed a country with vast resources and in- credible potential. However, I must say, perhaps not just as a Maltese but as a European, that the debts that students incur for college tuition are mind-boggling. Of course, there are world- class institutions across the US, and these are not cheap to operate. But, right now, there are 44 million Ameri- cans with a debt of 1.5 trillion dollars. The average student debt is $37,172 (€32,644) and this is an increase of $20,000 from 13 years ago. In 2016, the Federal Reserve reported that the average monthly repayment of the debt was close to $400 per month. In 2020, 65% of all jobs created in the US will re- quire college-level education while right now only a third of the US population has a college degree. The reality is that tertiary education is out of reach for a good part of the population. Sure, there are scholarships for very high-achievers, but it also means that a lot of people with great potential are left out. In such competi- tive global economies, having potential human resources at hand but not actually using them should be a crime. And this is looking at it through an economic lens only, which is only half the story. In Malta, we've chosen a different model. Here the state helps young people almost to the other extreme. Some of you may, at some point, have had to explain how it works with foreign colleagues or students. Yes, there are no fees. Yes, there is a monthly stipend, together with a maintenance grant to settle you in. And the state continues to help even if you fall and need to get back up again. The level of accessibil- ity of our tertiary education system is, together with our universal healthcare system, something we should be very proud of as a nation. Mind you, this was not built by Labour or the Nationalists. These things were built by the Maltese people, and con- tinue to this very day. This week an EU report highlighted all this. Malta was ranked as the country in Europe which offers most support to students studying for first degrees within ter- tiary education. In its report for 2017/18 on national stu- dent fee and support systems in higher education, Eurydice identified Malta as the coun- try which offers grants to the highest percentage of stu- dents while charging fees to the least number of students following first degrees in higher education. The study indicates that Malta charges no fees for first degrees while 93% of students following first degrees receive grants. This places Malta as the country which offers the highest amount of support to students studying for first degrees in Europe. The countries which rank immediately after Malta in this are Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. This doesn't mean that the Maltese system is flawless and perfect. I've lived long enough to appreciate that other systems, such as the US or the UK models, are not only different but perhaps best fit within that country's particular context. It's not a case of Malta being better or not, but context. While we shouldn't roman- ticise our accomplishments, we should be proud that such access and opportunity is open to all Maltese and Gozitan young people. As the digital world around us continues to drastically alter global economies, and more skilled and technical work- forces are needed, there will be a shift to more access in other countries. I believe that among the challenges we're facing in the western world is the high cost of re-skilling. People whose line of work was decapitated in the modern economic era face a tough time, and high cost. They need to be able to equip themselves with the right skills to bring about a decent living and personal growth. This in turn will decrease inequality. At stake is how we build our economy and our society. I hope that we understand how important this all is, and how rare it is for these oppor- tunities to be there, because only if we safeguard this, will future generations enjoy it too. What we have achieved we should protect. I believe that among the challenges we're facing in the western world is the high cost of re-skilling In 2020, 65% of all jobs created in the US will require college-level education while right now only a third of the US population has a college degree