Introducing this policy without changing other things will not bring about the desired effect. I will comment on the recommendation of giving eight hours a week to Year 9 students and up. During these years, the students choose their preferred subjects like the sciences and other languages, or business studies, accounts and other subjects like computing in addition to those learnt in previous years.

I think students should start choosing their subjects in later years and that they have a common syllabus till Year 11. But it seems that there are no plans to introduce this change, because the whole structure of post-secondary education has to be reformed. Therefore, I cannot imagine how eight hours of homework for these students is enough: the pupil has the core subjects Mathematics, English and Maltese; then an additional two new subjects like Chemistry and Biology, Religious Studies and a foreign language for sure. I wish to ask whether the eight hours also include the study time. But even if they do not, can you imagine that doing the mandatory homework in Mathematics, the sciences, the writing of compositions (at least once every week) in English and Maltese, the working out of comprehensions, the essays in literature and so on, will only take eight hours?

If this policy is implemented, it would cause private and Church schools to become stronger and it would increase private tuition. State schools can only become the schools of the low performing strata where a mix is needed to preserve excellence and balance. Students, and their parents, are stressed first and foremost by the private lessons they attend. We as a nation have to tackle this problem. But to do so, we need to reform the whole structure of our educational system.

For example, we can implement a core syllabus till they are 16 years old and are educated in the skills needed for the modern world and the tools of learning, and the basics of science, computing, and so on. I would imagine that the area of sports, physical exercise, contact with the natural environment, drama, music, dancing, critical thinking, philosophy, development of manual skills and media education be increased. Secondary Level should be a time where the educational set up enables all students to succeed and this success be celebrated if they make an effort. I am not talking about complacency and laziness here. Right now, a good percentage of the students cannot do otherwise but fail due to the intense academic programme. Sixth Form perhaps would be spread over three years and the subjects divided in modules. First, students sit for the Intermediate Level exams and then choose which subjects to study further for Advanced Level.

But as you know, I am not a consultant, I am just a plain ordinary citizen.

 

Joe Portelli

Nadur