Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545896
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 JULY 2026 OPINION JP Fabri The physics of progress and Economist THERE are some subjects that make far more sense later in life than they ever did in the class- room. Physics was certainly one of them for me. At school, I struggled to understand why it mattered. It often felt like a collection of equations, formu- las and definitions to memorise rather than a way of understand- ing the world. Only years later, through reading books such as The Art of Physics by Zahaan Bharmal, did I begin to appre- ciate that physics is not really about mathematics alone. It is about recognising patterns. It is about understanding why sys- tems evolve, why nature behaves the way it does, and why com- plexity often follows remarkably simple principles. That realisation also made me reflect on education itself. Too much of our education system still rewards remembering rath- er than understanding. Students spend years preparing for exami- nations that often value the ability to reproduce information more than the ability to question it. Yet we now live in a world where information has become almost limitless. Artificial intelligence can retrieve facts within seconds. The real competitive advantage no longer lies in memorising answers. It lies in asking better questions, recognising connec- tions across disciplines and solv- ing problems creatively. If Malta genuinely wants to become a higher-value, innovation-driv- en economy, then perhaps the greatest educational reform is not simply about changing sylla- bi, but changing the way we teach people to think. Physics, when understood properly, offers precisely that. It teaches us to observe systems. It teaches us that movement, pres- sure, resistance and energy are not abstract concepts but part of everyday life. It helps explain how water moves through riv- ers, how blood moves through the body, how electricity moves through circuits and how traffic moves, or fails to move, through cities. It also helps us understand economies, because economies too are systems of movement. People move. Ideas move. Capital moves. Goods move. Informa- tion moves. Trust moves. When movement is smooth, systems become more productive. When movement is blocked, systems become inefficient. This is where Adrian Bejan's Constructal Law becomes par- ticularly fascinating. Bejan argues that systems survive and evolve by improving access to flow. Riv- ers branch to carry water more efficiently. Trees develop net- MALTA GOVERNMENT STOCK FOR SAFE INVESTMENT AND LIQUIDITY WITH INTEREST PAID UP TO THE DAY OF RE-SALE OF STOCK ◆ SECURITY ◆ CONTINUOUS LIQUIDITY ◆ INTEREST EVERY SIX MONTHS ◆ (The value of the investment may go up or down during the tenor of the Stock.) Treasury Department, Development House, Level 2-3, St. Anne Street – Floriana, Malta Tel: 2596 7125 Secure Investment Issue of €300,000,000 in Fixed Rate Malta Government Stocks MALTA GOVERNMENT STOCKS STOCK TAL-GVERN ________ The price for each Stock in (i) and (ii) above, offered for subscription by members of the public shall be established on Thursday, 23 July 2026, based indicatively on the prevailing secondary market prices, and shall be announced through a Press Release issued by the Department of Information (DOI). (i) 3.80% Malta Government Stock maturing in 2036 (Fourth Issue) and (ii) 4.25% Malta Government Stock maturing in 2046 (Second Issue) Fixed Rate Malta Government Stocks Applications from members of the public for an amount up to a maximum of €499,900 per person in any one or in any combination of the two stocks on offer open on Monday, 27 July 2026 at 8.30 a.m. and close at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 29 July 2026. Applications from wholesale investors in the form of sealed bids (auction) open at 8.30 a.m. on Friday, 31 July 2026 and close on the same day at noon (CET), or earlier at the discretion of the Accountant General. The application forms may be obtained from, and lodged at, all Members of the Malta Stock Exchange and other authorized Investment Service Providers on the indicated dates. Application forms may also be downloaded from the Treasury's website at https://treasury.gov.mt/en/services/ from Friday, 24 July 2026. The Accountant General announces the issue of €300,000,000 Malta Government Stock in any one or in any combination of the following two stocks: The sum of money to be raised may be increased further up by a maximum of €200,000,000 in the event of oversubscription.