Hundreds of years ago Shakespeare warned us that the evil that we do will live after us while the good is “oft interred” with our bones.

That is exactly what will happen to the Nationalist government if it is stupid enough to adopt the advice given by the so-called experts and abolish the examinations and the streaming system. Successive Nationalist governments have pumped millions and millions of liri into our educational system.

We were given modern schools and colleges where our primary school children can be prepared for the secondary schools. New colleges were established where our teenagers can follow any course they like and our students were given so many incentives that our university population is about 10 times greater than it was 20 years ago.

The status of teachers has improved beyond recognition. All this will be lost and forgotten if ever the examinations are abolished. Without written examinations there will be no incentives either for the student or for the teacher. The abolition of written examinations will certainly open the door for all sorts of abuses, corruption and allegations. The written examination is the fairest method of judging the academic abilities of a student.

It is not perfect, but perfection is not of this world. Abolish the written examination and disaster will certainly follow.

Giov. DeMartino

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