Dun Gorg Preca and the democratisation of knowledge

Abstract

Gorg Preca was born in 1880 and died in 1962. His life therefore spans the most intensely active period of British presence in Malta on the one hand, and the formal,political independence of the islands in 1964 on the other. Working on the premise that one cannot understand or appreciate human action and achievement unless this is located historically, it is important that readers refer to Chapters 2 and 17 for in sights into the state of education that prevailed at the turn of the 20th century when Preca launched his initiatives. I will, in this context, only highlight some of the most relevant developments in education at that time in order to situate the subject of this essay. I will then identify and briefly discuss the qualities in Fr. Preca' s activities that make him a role model for those who are willing to engage with the educational project promoted in this book, namely his commitment to the democratisation of knowledge, his stance vis-a-vis the learner, his readiness to reach out to communities and work at the grass roots level, and his conviction that given the right pedagogical approach, difficult knowledge could be communicated to all learners, whatever their social or educational background.