Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1544603
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 APRIL 2026 NEWS How an ethics teacher created a platform for young people to voice their ideas AN ethics teacher has launched a group to give young people a structured space to voice con- cerns about policy and push for change. The initiative put forward by Luke Fenech was born after years of working with students who had plenty to say and no- where to say it. Fenech launched Żgħażagħ għall-Bidla, Youth for Change, after a classroom exercise tipped him over from thinking about it to actually doing it. He had asked his students to im- agine they were in government and write down what they would change about the edu- cation system and what came back surprised him. "The amount of work I re- ceived was more than expect- ed; it was massive," he said. "To see young people with all that energy and ideas and out- cry for things to change, it was not only hopeful, but motivat- ing me to actually start this." The group held its first ses- sion on 8 April at the Mos- ta Local Council hall, draw- ing around 40 people, among them secondary and tertiary students, youth workers, and teachers. Representatives from KNŻ and KSU were also pres- ent, and early signs of collabo- ration between the two organ- isations emerged on the night. Before launching it, Fenech had already published a 100-policy document called Humanising Education, pre- sented it to stakeholders and policymakers, and run his own outreach programmes. The name was his own, something short, catchy, and meaning- ful, combining youth and the drive for change, signalling the group was not there to appease the status quo but to challenge it. He mentioned it to his de- bate club students, and they were immediately on board. "As I mentioned the idea, they were intrigued and very energetic about it," he said. "They showed me they wanted to be part of it, to participate, to help in some way or anoth- er." On social media, Fenech is cautious but not dismissive. Several people who attended the first session had learned about it entirely online, with no prior contact with him. "Social media gives a plat- form," he said. "Yes, it is noisy. However, the more organ- ised the platform is, if there is structure, if hateful comments are removed, it can do won- ders. Young people find it as a stepping stone for their voices to actually be heard." What young people said The first session focused on education. As an educator, Fenech said the system still puts students into boxes, rush- es through syllabi, and prior- itises marks over everything else. Life skills are largely ab- sent. So are civic attitudes, including, he noted, activism itself. "We lack making students feel unique and maximising their potential," he said. "The education system focuses on the grade, the assessment, and not on the human inside the classroom. We need to human- ise education. We need to put the human at the centre of it." The breakout discussions bore this out. Participants raised concerns about dis- crimination around race and gender going largely unad- dressed by staff, with bullying described as under-enforced to the point of affecting stu- dents' mental health. Racism, the group's report noted, had become so normalised it was frequently overlooked during lessons themselves. The practice of ranking stu- dents in state schools also came under scrutiny. Those in lower classes were found to receive less motivation and fewer opportunities, with par- ticipants warning the damage to self-esteem could cause stu- dents to abandon their educa- tion altogether. The suggestion put forward was that students should be grouped by chosen paths or interests, technology, arts, agribusiness, rather than by grades. On the syllabus, participants described it as overloaded, forcing excessive memorisa- tion and leaving students with- out adequate study guides or post-exam feedback. The re- port also noted a structural in- consistency: English language and literature are assessed in separate exams, whereas Mal- tese language and literature are combined into one, despite both being official languages. At post-secondary level, par- ticipants called for syllabi up- dated more regularly, more student exchanges abroad, greater industry presence on campuses, and the reintroduc- tion of trade schools. At tertiary level, concerns centred on theory-heavy courses disconnected from the working world, an over-em- phasis on what the report called "prestigious jobs" at the expense of humanities and creative fields, and a failure to prepare students for the changes brought by artificial intelligence. Walking the talk After each session, the group will publish a report bringing together the ideas and frustra- tions raised, with plans to push it at governmental level. The education report will be for- warded to the Education Min- istry once finalised. "It's not just rambling," Fenech said. "There are con- crete ideas and serious frustra- tions that need to be tackled. The report shows accountabil- ity, that ideas were gathered, and now we can take it for- ward." Fenech teaches ethics in sec- ondary school and also lec- tures at the University of Mal- ta, Knights College, the Malta Leadership Institute, and the Institute for Education. Run- ning the group, he said, felt less like a departure from the classroom than an extension of it. In two to three years, he hopes to see it grow into a formalised volunteer organisation, with defined roles, more collabora- tions, and white papers taken up at the policy level. But the ambition he keeps returning to is not scale. "My ambition is not to grow and be the best organisation in the country," he said. "It's to be the organisation that kept to its core, lifting young people's voices, with no interference from any institution or party, irrespective of where they are coming from." JULIANA ZAMMIT jzammit@mediatoday.com.mt The group held its first session on 8 April at the Mosta Local Council hall, drawing around 40 people, among them secondary and tertiary students, youth workers, and teachers