Book review of president emeritus Dr. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, An introduction to the law of education (Malta University Press 2013)

Abstract

An Introduction to the Law of Education is President Emeritus Ugo Mifsud Bonnici's latest introductory monograph on a specific branch of Maltese Law - the Law of Education. His previous books in this series include: An Introduction to Cultural Heritage Law, published in 2008 by Midsea Books and An Introduction to Comparative Law published earlier in 2004 by Malta University Press. He has also written various other scholarly works which are studied by students at the Faculty of Laws such as the authoritative ll-Manwal tal-President ("The President's Manual") written while Dr Mifsud Bonnici served as President of Malta, and Kif Sirna Repubblika ("How We Became a Republic") published in 1999 which both provide an insightful account of the post-independence development of constitutional law. In his career, President Emeritus Dr Mifsud Bonnici has been inextricably associated with education not only through his various academic and popular writings on the subject, but also because as a seasoned politician he has always covered the sector of education both as Shadow Minister for Education between 1972 and 1987, and Education Minister from 1987 till 1994. A number of the matters referred to in the book being reviewed are known to him, di scienza propria, as a painstaking researcher and eminent scholar, and because of his past political activism. Although President Emeritus Dr Mifsud Bonnici has authored excellent books on Maltese cultural heritage law, comparative law and others, I would hazard a guess and state that this latest book on the law of education is probably the one he cherishes most, given that during his eminent political career, he has lived and been inseparably linked to this subject; so much so that his name is synonymous to education. He now fascinatingly narrates all this in his latest oeuvre. His knowledge of the subject is not only comprehensive, but also personal. He has been directly involved as a key protagonist in the drafting, making and unfolding of the law on the subject in question. This places him in a very advantageous situation when compared to other writers, more so that he has authored the Education Act 1988 himself and was directly involved in its promulgation, in different areas of education such as University, primary schools, secondary schools, etc. These experiences assisted him in providing the reader with certain facts which he was directly privy to due to the various offices he has occupied in his very successful political career. This added value that the author brings in writing this volume and makes this contribution more interesting to read and more revealing of the actual reasoning behind the provisions of the Education Act, 1988 and as subsequently amended. The insight which he provides in the development of the law of education is therefore original and provides more information than one would normally find in a government file or any other primary historical source. In this respect, to a certain extent, this book can be viewed as the first attempt by President Emeritus Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici at writing an autobiography. This is undoubtedly, the added value of this book.