It is that time of the year when the change of weather and the smell of spring starts paving the way for the holiday season. Summer will soon be with us, and although nobody really likes the heat, the majority of people look forward to many weeks of long, bright days of entertainment.

But, before that happens, for many families it will be a trying time as the younger generations prepare for their final examinations. At whatever level, exam time is a difficult period for the students, and a difficult time for their families too, as they have to cope with the mood swings of their young and not-so-young children who are geared up for exams that could shape their future.

Students at University have already made their choices, and are pursuing a career they probably dreamed of for many years. The exams they will be taking shortly will lead them closer to that dream, and the sacrifices they are putting in today will hopefully bear fruit in the years to come when they become professionals in the sector they chose.

Students at primary and secondary school level are perhaps still to make up their mind on what they would like to do when they grow up, but the exams they will be facing are important because they form the foundations of their education, and as such need to be taken seriously.

The question that always comes up at this time of the year is whether our education system is based too much on examinations, and whether our system is “producing” the people that Malta really needs. Are we still too much ingrained in learning things like robots, just for the sake of passing the exams? Are we giving our children enough general knowledge and education in life skills, or are they leaving school with certificates but without the ability to face adulthood and all that brings with it?

The reform that is currently taking place within the education system is geared to remove the emphasis that is made on examinations, and the stress that these examinations put on the students. Such a reform goes hand in hand with the structural changes that have been carried out in the formation of the college system.

The effects of these changes will not be known until they are all in place and a few years go by. Yet, it must be remembered that the students in the present system have a life of their own and need to receive all the support possible.

And this takes us back to the next few weeks and the examinations that will be held between now and the end of June. Most children are revising all that they learnt in the last nine months, and the pressure is mounting. Most can handle it well, and take it in their stride, but there are others who feel the weight of such an important moment, and do not perform up their capabilities.

Schools do give importance to the performances of students throughout the year, and this is why assessments are carried out over the whole scholastic year. But, ultimately, it is the final examinations that count the most and any failures would either mean a summer of re-sits or the end of a dream.

In a world where competition is increasing, the pressure continues to mount on the students who know that only the best will be able to get where they want, while the others will have to settle for their second or perhaps even third choices.

What we should keep in mind is that our country needs all the human resources it can have to be able to meet its future demands.