When something is positive, or attracts a wide consensus, unfortunately it gets little attention from the media. It is only controversies that keep on being repeated over and over again, ad nauseam, that get the attention.

Last week, Education Minister Dolores Cristina introduced a reform in the transition between primary and secondary schooling. Apart from The Malta Independent, no other daily newspaper carried the story on its front page. The pro-Labour media practically ignored it, and this is already a clear indication that the reform is good – otherwise, they would have made it a point to keep on reminding us about it.

But the reform, once implemented, will change the way children move on from primary schooling to the secondary level of education, effectively eliminating selective examinations, and giving each child the possibility to expand and improve his or her talents and abilities.

It is a step in the right direction that needs to be highlighted. It is a real pity that, when the government and opposition agree on something, or when changes are welcomed by one and all, the matter is set aside and forgotten quickly.

When the Education Ministry launched the initiative last year in a bid to overhaul the system, it was welcomed from all quarters. As such, this non-selective transition from Year 6 to Form 1 has been in place in many Church schools for years, and the government wanted to conform to a structure that reduces examination stress for 10- and 11-year old children.

Until now, children of Year 6 were requested to sit for an examination in five core subjects, and those who passed made it to what is known as Junior Lyceums, while the rest remained in secondary schools within their locality or nearby.

This system led to a hard-fought race for the children to make it to the “better” schools, pushing parents into paying loads of money for their children to attend private lessons after school hours, and increasing the pressure on these youngsters. Moreover, those who did not make it were deemed as failures, their self-esteem crushed, and they were “lost” forever.

The reform, which is the next logical step after the college system was set up a few years ago, will now allow the students to move into secondary education without a selection process. Streaming will therefore be eliminated, and instead there will be a concerted effort to bring the best out of every child.

Malta relies on its human resources to be successful, and we cannot afford to lose anyone. Every child has talents, and these have to be helped to grow. By having a selection process at such a young age, children who failed to enter Junior Lyceums lost interest even more. With the new system in place, they have a better chance to succeed.

One main worry among parents was that the more intelligent students would be held back by the less intelligent ones, but experience in Church schools has shown that this is not the case. If anything, it is the other way round, because it is the more intelligent students who “sustain” the rest.

Moreover, the idea to transform classes depending on the strength of the students in particular subjects is also a concept that should be supported. The way classrooms will be set up – with benches that could be moved around easily – means that children could receive extra attention in subjects in which they are weak.

The results of the reform will only be known in a few years’ time, through experience. But it is easy to say, as from now, that the idea seems to be the best way forward.