Students will have four exams in their Junior Lyceum examination this year, rather than the customary five, as Social Studies is to be removed, alleviating some of the students’ stress, Education Minister Dolores Cristina said yesterday.

Ms Cristina, speaking at Mqabba Primary School, said it will not be a straightforward path ahead, as the biggest reform for the education sector in Malta is implemented, but she is optimistic it will yield good results in the long run. Some had told her a year was too long for consultation, but this had allowed for the maturation of ideas.

Next May will be the last time students sat for the Common Entrance and the Junior Lyceum exams, and as from June 2011 they will be sitting for a national exam in English, Mathematics and Maltese, with special emphasis being made on the oral aspect.

Grace Grima, Director General for Education, said this exam would be a benchmark at the end of primary school. All church and independent schools were invited to participate in these exams.

Malta will also be participating in TIMSS and PIRLS, comparative studies which will allow it to see how the students matched up to international standards, so it may always strive to improve.

The reform began last year with a year-long consultation, and some changes have already been initiated. The option of re-sitting one exam has been offered to students who fail one exam, and it has been a huge success with an additional 200 students making it through to the Junior Lyceum.

All year-five students have not been streamed for the first time this year, and the system will also be applied to year six this year.

The reform in the education sector is not just about the removal of exams, as this is just one of a number of decisions which make up this lengthy reform, the Permanent Secretary for Education, Chris Bezzina said.

Come September 2011, schools which are in a state that fits in with the new concept will begin to house students as normal, whereas pupils who are still waiting for a school to be built will be gathered in two schools: one for boys and one for girls.

A number of church schools are also planning to equip themselves, so as to be able to up their intake and ease the transition from primary to secondary school.

It is about more than physical resources, however, and Stephen Cachia, headmaster of Sta Margerita, said that the important thing is to recognise all students’ abilities, and to help them to achieve progress based on these.

A number of professional staff, including trainee psychologists, prefects of discipline, counsellors and youth workers have been employed to meet the needs of children with social or behaviour problems.

Some parents were concerned by the decision to remove the exam and streaming, as they worried about problematic students, but the plan was to have immediate help for children who show difficulties settling in classrooms.

Primary schools will be implementing a system of nurture groups, where for a short time every day they will find help available for any problems, not only of an educational nature. Secondary schools are to be equipped with a learning support zone, to fulfill a similar function.

Although the reform focuses on the transition, even the years right before and those that come after are important, and for this reason core competences and skill based assessment has been introduced.

Micheline Sciberras, Director General for Education, said this reform built on past achievements. She highlighted the importance of professional training, such as support for teachers. There have been courses on differentiated teaching, which were beneficial, said primary school teacher Oswald Tanti Rigos.

Dr Grima said there are three projects they are working on, and these include one to reveal the reading ages of Maltese children, a science education strategy, which is crucial if the idea is to encourage more people to follow science subjects, and lastly a curriculum framework.

Fr Dominic Scerri said that there is a need to further put into practice the idea of continuity, which is something they have always believed in. It is also necessary to have a change of mentality, as some parents, for example, still believe wholeheartedly in the idea of the examination.

Bernie Mizzi, representing the Private Schools Association, said the association hopes to have broader tax credits for the parents and the same benefit as church schools, a 15 per cent VAT refund on the costs of building new school facilities.

Dr Bezzina said that there is a clear strategy in place, but this is a delicate time, as this vision might be lost if the momentum is not kept up.