Archive for Feature
Our country needs to be credible again
“Actions need to be taken to restrore the country’s credibility”. Josef Vella, Chief Executive Officer of UHM Voice of theWorkers stated this when he was one of three guests during…
Human life is precious
The human cost of border policies has been made painfully real. When people die trying to cross borders, the response from politicians is almost always the same. They say they are shocked and saddenned but they carry on as usual. Words of sympathy do not make routes of travel safe, legal or stop the policies that will leave so many others to the same fate. The evidence has been clear. Border policies are the problem whereas safe and legal routes are one of the solutions. Individuals who cross the Mediterranean to seek a better future must not make deathwishes. Deaths are avoidable but still politicians push on with making it near impossible for people to reach European shores. The thing is that if we are not stigmatising migrants we are blaming smugglers who are depicted as a group that can be held responsible for the whole problem. However this is not to excuse the damage done by smugglers but to put this in a broader context. Where governments have shut down safe and legal routes, many people have no option. No one would choose to pay large sums of money to make a dangerous journey in a dinghy if they could pay much less to pay a ferry. Several people who are trying to reach Europe from Libya are likely to have crossed thousands of miles of land and sea to make it even that far. Our country’s debate on illegal immigration has not been allowed to approximate the truth. So we have to explain that these people are human beings and to encourage others to imagine if it were them. What would it be like to flee your country because of war or persecution? When loss of life in the Mediterranean make headlines we pity the unfortunate souls, while the same anti-asylum and anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies remain the same. More will die like this. More children and adults. It does not have to be this way. Movement can be made safe, legal and easy. However, the change has to begin with recognising that borders are the problem not the solution.
A bizarre directive that undermined the freedom of expression
Freedom of expression and free flow of information are cornerstones of public debate and democracy. Being the watchdogs of these freedoms, journalists are crucial to the very functioning of…
Back to school?
Parents, understandably, are questioning whether schools willreopen at the end of next month. However, common sense dictates that schools should only be reopened when it is safe for students. Going…
Clientelism is a system deeply ingrained in our mentality
The cliental system is ingrained not just in Maltese politics but in the Maltese mentality. Clientelism is one of Malta’s societal ills enabling corruption and endangering democracy. Beneficiaries of clientelistic networks do…
COVID-19 cases have spiked and causing problems to workers and the vulnerable
“The situation is under control in the best possible way”. This was stated by the Prime Minister when asked by journalists about the increase of COVID-19 cases. However, the same must not be said with regards to workers, particularly the vulnerable, because the state of affairs is not really under control. Several health workers, who are amongst the country’s frontliners, are under great stress due to the load of work that has picked up pace with the addition of more coronavirus cases. Workers who are involved in this sector, and who are vulnerable, are also concerned and burdened with worries that they could get infected if the precautions taken were to be relaxed. As many families are once again keeping their beloved vulnerable kinsfolk indoors and the general public is once again taking more precautions to prevent the virus, the Government remains insensitive to the concerns of many. A particular worker who spoke to Voice of the Workers had harsh words for the authorities because due to his vulnerability and since his work involves direct contact with the public, he cannot physically return to his workplace. This vulnerable person, along with others, is a victim of the system because he remained vulnerable, while the Government continued to run business as usual. Detention Services workers and members of the Armed Forces of Malta are also concerned about the recent circumstances when amongts the last group of irregular immigrants brought ashore, a substantial number of them tested positive for coronavirus. This fact exacerbates more pressure on health workers, especially those who handle swabbing tests. In addition, decreases in productivity and the reduction in the financial income of certain companies, led to several workers working three or four days a week. After the restrictions were lifted and cases dropped drastically, such workers were allowed to go back to the five-day-week system. However, since the number of cases is spiralling, workers are worrying that they will work fewer days resulting in a reduced salary. Moreover, parents are also preoccupied with the fact that they do not know what’s going to happen when schools reopen in September. Voice of the Workers calls on the Government to listen to health experts and to what unions say in order to safeguard the health and safety of all. Government must do its utmost not to endanger the labour market so that workers and their families avoid another turbulent episode in their lives.
“Meta wieħed jagħlaq għajn waħda jkun qed jikkontribwixxi fin-negliġenza”
“Jekk wieħed jagħlaq għajn waħda fl-obbligi marbutin mas-Saħħa u s-Sigurtà ikun qed jikkontribwixxi fin-negliġenza.” Hekk stqarr Aldo Busuttil, Prattikant fis-Saħħa u s-Sigurtà, f’intervista ma’ Voice of the Workers fil-jiem li għaddew. Aldo Busuttil stqarr li mill-ħafna twissijiet u assigurazzjonijiet maħruġa…
Where is our education system leading to?
The education system in Malta is too based on what is scholastic or academic. What matters in Malta are the certificates. Students are still acting like robots memorizing the syllabus they think will come out in the exam papers. There is no indication of learning life skills. Students are not assimilating the basic things they that need to use throughout their lives. To name a few – how many students know how Parliament works? What do they know about the Constitution of Malta? The pandemic that we have just experienced has seen learning taking place virtually. Love it or loathe it, I think online learning is here to stay. Prospective teachers should henceforth be prepared for this when they read for a degree in Education at University. Bright students will not be affected by online learning and it will not hinder them in the course of their studies; on the other hand, students who are weak academically and are not monitored at home, will continue to regress. Teachers have a curriculum to follow and some may not have the time to help students who are not faring well. Nevertheless, with online education this issue could be solved because the teacher would be able to help on a one-to-one basis. Each lesson can take place as a webinar whereby students and teachers can communicate and discuss together. Despite all this, I think it would not be a bad idea for Primary and Secondary students to meet, at least once a week, for sports or other practical lessons such as life skills. However, teachers will have to completely change their method and style they are accustomed to. To me, here lies the biggest hurdle. As telework proved successful in many workplaces, online learning can also lead to positive results. We are not saying that online learning should happen during the next scholastic year, but we have to get there some way or another in the future. I am not an eduactor so I cannot visualize all the problems that can arise with the online learning system. However, one must also look at the positive effects that the system offers in general. With online learning, we can reduce, among other things, traffic congestions and pollution. Nowadays, several tools are at our disposal: lap tops, smartphones and WiFi infrastructure. The think-tank created by the Government could study this possibility. Unfortunately, students (not just the teachers) were not involved in the process. In addition, Malta must also look at learning systems such as those applied in Finland, Norway and Japan. In Finland, for example, no particular topics exist. Maths, History and Geography classes are amalgamated in meetings that childen attend during the week. In Japan, pupils learn to grow vegetables and how to do maintenance work at home – appropriate skills that children will find useful after finishing their formal education.
Il-ġurnaliżmu huwa pilastru tad-demokrazija
F’intervista li saret dan l-aħħar minn Voice of the Workers, Sylvana Debono, il-President il-ġdid tal-Istitut tal-Ġurnalisti Maltin (IĠM) u Editor-in-Chief ta’ Beacon Media Group, saħqet li mingħajr ix-xogħol tal-ġurnalisti d-demokrazija…
L-artist irid ikun iżjed kuraġġuż u jitkellem fuq kwistjonijiet li jolqtu lis-soċjetà Maltija
Malta teħtieġ komunità kulturali li tkun kuraġġuża biżżejjed biex titkellem u taffronta l-kwistjonijiet u l-isfidi tal-lum. Mark Schembri - artist, karikaturist u attur - jemmen li l-libertà tal-espressjoni hija aspett fis-soċjetà Maltija li ħadet daqqa ta’ ħarta u għadha taqla t-tumakki saħansitra fil-livell artistiku u kulturali. Voice of the Workers staqsa lil Mark kif janalizza s-settur kulturali ta’ Malta Xi jfissru, għal Mark Schembri, il-kliem high culture? Staqsejt lill-artist u karikaturist jekk jaqbilx li l-COVID-19 ġab ċertu inċertezza għal ħafna…