“May you live in interesting times!”, an infamous curse goes. The implication, of course, is that life is better lived during times of peace, and that interesting times only bring with them unforeseen difficulties that make impossible any feelings of tranquillity, keeping us awake, anxious, throughout the night.

Yet difficulties fall also under the realm of perspective. We have witnessed and experienced the local educational milieu shift and adapt to meet the necessities of the times, and, inevitably, this has brought with it a network of issues and challenges. In turn, however, these have engendered fresh perspectives and understandings whereupon effective solutions were agreed upon and implemented. Perspective may transform challenges to solutions, and in this way “interesting times” may be sublimated to “better times”.

Indeed, our tagline at the MFHEA is ‘Quality Education for Confident Futures’. In this light, the year 2022 will see us embark on a calendar of activities to commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of the enactment of Act 13 of 2012. This act provided the legal framework for the amalgamation of the Malta Qualifications Council (MQC) and the National Commission for Higher Education (NCHE) to form the National Commission for Further and Higher Education (NCFHE), which is the foundation of the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA).

Our mission statement is as follows: “to foster the development and achievement of excellence in further and higher education in Malta through research, effective licensing, accreditation, quality assurance, and recognition of qualifications established under the Malta Qualifications Framework.”

As part of the commemoration of its 10^th anniversary, the MFHEA is inviting authors to submit chapters for an edited collection, to be published in 2023, that will discuss and explore various challenges, perspectives, and solutions within further and higher education through the lens of the local Maltese scene. We present four main areas you may wish to contribute to:

1. The challenges which the local education scene is facing nowadays, and the challenges which have been present throughout its development;
2. The historical, sociological, and economical background for further and higher education in Malta;
3. The different perspectives that have emerged (and what fundamental social, political, and historical conditions have allowed these perspectives to materialise in the first place) coupled with the solutions that can be implemented as a realisation of these perspectives;
4. The role of a university – do universities still seek the truth, or are they becoming vocational higher education institutions?

These are just a few possible areas and topics that can be analysed from different perspectives; additionally, for instance, one may look at environmental challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which has disrupted educational provision, the stability of curricula, the steady processes of teaching and learning, and the solidity of the classroom which has quickly dissolved into the ephemerality of the hyperlink.

Other aspects may be considered, such as the contemporary political and legal context and its interrelations with the dynamics of education provision, and the balance that may be found between education on a local scale and that on an international one. How has Maltese education adapted to an increasingly international horizon, and which of its facets does current legislation aid, or even hinder? One must also keep in mind the economic dimension of education, and how certain fundamental aspects – such as target audiences, modes of delivery, and available resources – are to a great degree tied to financial investments and economic prerogatives.

One may also inquire into the social framework within which education happens: what particular aspects of Maltese society are most influential in further and higher education? Which theories of social behaviour are currently practised or neglected? A focus on the personal, too, would be very relevant: what psychological characteristics of learner and teacher come into play during formal and informal education, and how do pedagogical practices differ depending not only on the age of their audiences but also on programmes, subjects, and levels? How may our focus on methodology relate to, or lose sight of, the flexibility necessary when it comes to different forms of learning? One may question, too, whether in  Malta the individual is at the centre of education, and if this should  always be the case.

Historical approaches to the above questions are also encouraged, whereby the emergence and development of the above aspects of education can be highlighted for reasons of not only historical awareness but future-oriented innovation; after all, one cannot break with patterns of the past without first being aware of the precedents.

While this collection aims to focus on Malta and its education, we also welcome any submissions that undertake a comparative and international approach – how does the rate of Maltese adult literacy, for instance, compare to that of other countries, and what does this say about our particular context? What areas of education are most funded, in Malta, and what other models and possibilities are showcased in other countries?

In summary, the MFHEA is looking for engaging and informative submissions on the challenges, perspectives, and solutions within further and higher education  related but not limited to the environmental, technical/digital, political, legal, economic, social, personal, historical, and international dimensions, amongst others.

Interested authors may submit chapter proposals (max. 500 words) by the 30^th of April. Authors should also attach a short biographical note (c. 50 words). Chapters should be around 5,000 words (including annotations and bibliography) and will be submitted for peer-review.

Submit your proposal here. For any queries, please contact us on [email protected].

We look forward to your contributions in this venture, marking our tenth anniversary.