Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1481540
6 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 OCTOBER 2022 NEWS NEWS KURT SANSONE THE Nationalist Party's youth wing, MZPN, is worried after a MaltaToday survey on Sunday showed the party being eclipsed by ADPD among young voters. The MZPN held what could be dubbed an emergency meeting yesterday to discuss the survey result and chart a way forward. In a Facebook post, the youth wing said it felt compelled to meet immediately after the sur- vey laid bare the PN's inability to attract young voters. "We are ready to work with everyone for the good of the party. The situation is worrying and we are ready to do our part for the PN to move forward," the MZPN said. The MaltaToday survey showed that among those aged between 16 and 35, the PN only registered the support of 7.3%. For the first time, the PN was eclipsed within this age cohort by ADPD, which registered 8.3%, its best result. Support for the Labour Party among young voters stood at 28.3%. However, young voters were also the most apathetic with 33.7% saying they will not vote if an election is held tomorrow. But the PN also suffers as a result of a lack of trust in its leader, Bernard Grech. The sur- vey showed that Grech only en- joyed the trust of 6.9% of young voters, which contrasted with political rival Robert Abela's 34.7%. The publication of the survey results coincided with yet an- other public spat between PN exponents, this time involv- ing Grech and his predecessor Adrian Delia. In an interview with Lovin Malta, Grech objected to his interviewer's suggestion that things within the PN had not changed much over the past two years, citing as an example the fact that there were no MPs trying to depose him by going to the President of the Republic. The statement, elicited Delia's ire, who insisted that should not be the yardstick by which to measure progress. Delia lost a vote of confidence within his parliamentary group and was eventually forced to hold a fresh leadership election in which he ran against Grech. Delia's comment on Facebook sparked off a public spat be- tween his supporters and others who believe in Grech, exposing a wound that keeps surfacing every now and then. The PN has had four leaders in the span of 10 years. Lawrence Gonzi lost the 2013 election heavily and was succeeded by Simon Busuttil. The PN went on to lose the 2017 election heavily and in the first lead- ership race decided by party members, Adrian Delia beat off the challenge posed by Chris Said to become leader. However, in September 2020, Delia lost to Bernard Grech in a leadership election that was forced upon the party by rebel MPs. After the March 2022 election, which the PN lost heavily once more, Grech ran for the leader- ship again but was uncontested. Delia was elected on two dis- tricts. SURVEY ANALYSIS James Debono PGS 8 & 9 PN youth wing worried after MaltaToday survey shows party failing to attract young voters Only one student pursuing four-year Junior College course, Prime Minister says NICOLE MEILAK ONLY one student applied to study at Junior College over a four-year period, according to Prime Minister Robert Ab- ela. During a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Abela said that he was sure only few stu- dents would make use of the scheme. "We wanted to give at least one student the opportunity to achieve their aspirations." Junior College introduced the four-year courses for students who are unable to finish their studies in two years with one of the college heads indicating that some students were also breadwinners. The college's decision raised eyebrows among some academics, who questioned wheth- er this lower school standards. Students pursuing four-year courses are able to study two subjects at A level and four at Intermediate level. Tuesday's Cabinet meeting took place at St Nicholas College secondary school in Dingli and centred around education. Cabinet heard interventions from a num- ber of stakeholders, including headmas- ters and union leaders. The Prime Minister also announced that the government will widen the assistance offered under Scheme 9 to students from disadvantaged backgrounds from this scholastic year. The new rules will allow these students to benefit from all provi- sions in the scheme, which is intended to provide assistance in the purchase of uni- forms and exempts these students from photocopy and stationery expenses, and also provides students with a lunch. Two students from the school, George Vella and Antonia Ciappara, insisted that the education system is not fit for teaching students about life beyond their school desks. Vella said students should learn how to transfer school skills into everyday life. He mentioned that students should learn to discuss issues openly while re- specting each other's opinions. Ciappara added that the education system focuses too much on academics, suggesting that extracurricular activities be organised on school grounds. She raised a point on continuous as- sessments, saying that they increase un- certainty as teachers across schools grade their students in different ways. "These shortcomings need to be addressed im- mediately." She also suggested that physics should not be a mandatory subject for students, while computer science and IT should be categorised as science subjects. On uniforms, Ciappara said that current rules are uncomfortable for girls who are forced to wear trousers, even in the sum- mer months. Education Minister Clifton Grima con- cluded the meeting by saying that the educational system is not there to pre- pare students to become workers, but to attain all the skills necessary to face the real world. Prime Minister Robert Abela and Education Minister Clifton Grima presided a Cabinet meeting focused on education at the Dingli secondary school