“Education is the key that helps us move forward, the key that gives social mobility which means that you are from you, you left where you left, you have the same opportunity as others to advance in life and achieve all your aspirations.” This is what the Minister for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation Clifton Grima said when he launched the National Strategy for Lifelong Learning 2023-2030 this morning.
This Strategy is part of a series of strategies that have been launched during the past months and that go hand in hand with the National Strategy for Education 2024-2030 which has reached the last consultation before it is launched. The Strategy continues to build on the collective work of the government with a vision of where we want to go and how we want to go about achieving the goals in this area. A strategy that also focuses on the individual person as the center of its work.
This strategy has three main pillars that together deal with the learning opportunities aimed at adults who need basic skills, the methods and diverse learning opportunities to ensure inclusiveness and ensure quality in training of Lifelong Learning. The National Strategy for Lifelong Learning has a social mission at its core and aims to improve the lives of the most vulnerable through a diverse range of lifelong learning opportunities.
The strategy will, in fact, play a key role in achieving the national targets to increase both the employment rate and the participation of adults in learning, while reducing the rate of people in risk of poverty and/or social exclusion. The benefits of lifelong learning do not stop at an individual level but have effects that spread over all levels of society including industry, the civic community, and the country in general.
The Permanent Secretary within the Ministry Matthew Vella said, “This strategy is the key to social mobility. Its main objective is to reduce social exclusion by increasing participation in education and training. That way we will be reaching the goals of the European Union. This will be done through 51 strategic actions that complement the Sustainable Development Goals SDG 4 – Quality education. This strategy is part of the ongoing transformation in education through the national strategy.”
