The pupil's voice : a historical inquiry into primary education in Malta during the 1920s

Abstract

This study centres on the view that by studying pupils' experiences we can discover some of the intentions behind schooling. It gives an account of development in Primary schooling in the early twentieth century, specifically the 1920-30 decade. This dissertation begins with an analysis of the socio-economical and political context of the period being studied, and the events that impinged upon the educational context. Oral history interviews were carried out with some pupils who experienced elementary schooling during this decade. The difficult transition from home life to school life was legitimated by the enactment of the Compulsory Attendance Act of 1924, the provision of school premises, and by the efforts of the energetic Director of Elementary Schools, Dr. A V. Laferla. There was marked improvement in the quality of elementary education, teacher training was enhanced by the opening of the Central Schools, while the curriculum was expanded to include subjects such as Nature Study, History of Malta and Physical Training. Finally, it is in the context of this decade that we attempted to analyse narratives in perspective and to assess the impact of various forces that contributed to educational development in Malta.