“The analysis of the Junior Lyceum examination is to be the first step towards establishing national benchmarks in students’ educational development,” said Youth, Employment and Education Minister Louise Galea.

The minister was speaking at an open day held yesterday at the new Luqa primary school that is due to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi tomorrow. The project was carried out due to a Lm1 million investment by the government.

Minister Galea also inaugurated a synthetic turf playing field. This was built with the specific purpose of providing children with a safe play environment. The Luqa football club will also be using the ground, which is of five-a-side dimensions as a nursery.

Regarding the analysis of the Junior Lyceum examination, Dr Galea said that this will help establish national benchmarks of children's educations development. “Once this comes into play, parents will have a better idea of how their children measure up when compared to other students,” he said.

The minister explained that the analysis will include a comparative study with other education systems as well as an investigation of the impact this examination has on students, teachers and parents. This study will help identify decisions that need to be taken to improve the education system, he added.