Government’s reform of the education system is aimed at encouraging more young people to succeed in acquiring the relevant certificates to enable them to further their education and training and to find the jobs that the new company is creating, Education Minister Louis Galea said yesterday.

“The government is the strongest partner of all parents in their most important mission of the care and education of their children. This is why we have embarked on a whole reform of the education system from early childhood to higher education through life-long learning,” he added.

Speaking at a seminar that discussed the report Matsec: Strengthening a national examination system, Dr Galea said “the examination system is a fundamental block in the whole education architecture. The government wants all young people to sit for their exams, obtain certification of high quality and standards, have the right to see their paper after its correction, and to have the opportunity to sit for a new form of exam, apart from SEC and Matsec, aimed at certification of vocational subjects and also for basic skills.”

Dr Galea said the ministry’s strategy over the past three years has been to focus, analyse and constructively criticise key areas in the field of education and Matsec was identified as an area necessitating review.

He said the system had been successful and given fruit, however, after 10 years, it was the right time to put this system under scrutiny. Although thousands of students had sat for their SEC and Matsec examinations and entered higher education institutions, “when one compares the number of students entering the higher education sector in comparison to other European countries, it is evident that we need to strive further to create more access to this sector”.

He said that apart from the ministry’s focus on the higher education sector the local examination system was also placed under analysis, and a working group, chaired Dr Grace Grima, was set up.

The Grima report, he said, emerged with a series of observations, conclusions and recommendations.

“Among these, is the fact that the last year of schooling is currently very short and exams start as early as April. This leads to cramming, fear of not covering the syllabus in time, perceived need of private lessons. The Grima report recommends that examinations are taken five weeks later and reduce the need for students to take re-sits.”

The report also recommends that with regard to re-sits, students should not have any limitations in the subjects they sit for.

Dr Galea said the Grima report also recommends a different structure for the revision of paper.

Minister Galea said it was worrying that a number of students who finished their compulsory education did not sit for their SEC examinations.

“It is very important and significant that the Grima report recommends the introduction of a new basic SEC exam based on an assessment system of basic competencies. This will mean that all students leaving compulsory education will be bound to sit for a set form of examination in order to certify the skills acquired.”

The Matsec consultations conference was attended by over 200 students, parents, teachers, educational administrators and trade union representatives.