The reform in the education sector has gone another step further with the announcement that the existing four schools for students with special needs will be revamped to provide a more comprehensive type of education.

This follows the several other measures that have been implemented over the past years, foremost among which was the grouping of schools in nearby localities into colleges. This brought about a more linear and organised way in which schools are being administered.

The next step will be the reform in the transition between primary and secondary school, which is in the making. Selective examinations will be removed to eliminate the distinction that is made between students who make it into Junior Lyceums, which were considered to be the elite State schools, and those who remained in area secondary schools.

With human resources being the greatest asset this country has, the idea not to “lose” students at age 11 is behind the concept of this reform. The establishing of the college system made the changes in the transition process possible, as secondary schools are now equipped to deal with such a situation.

The third step, that of reforming the special schools, has now also been launched. Again, this is a natural follow-up to the establishment of a college system but also of another policy that has been implemented over the past years – the policy of inclusion.

A few years back, the government had opted to, as much as possible, integrate students with special needs in the mainstream. Learning support assistants were trained to give a helping hand to students who, with this extra aid, are able to attend classes in mainstream schools.

This effectively reduced the number of students who attend special schools to around 200, which means that now it is possible to reorganise these special schools in such a way as to make them more ideal for the needs of these students.

As things stand now, age is not a factor when it comes to divide the students in the four special schools, so there are situations where children as young as three are in the same school as young adults aged 22. When the reform is in place, as from the scholastic year 2012-2013, the four schools will cater for different age groups.

Added to this, the way the schools will be grouped will enable students in special schools to, when possible, attend classes in nearby mainstream schools. For example, the Guardian Angel School, which is adjacent to the boys and girls secondary schools in Hamrun, will be a secondary school for students with special needs.

The fact that these special schools will also form part of the college system is a clear sign that these schools, although with their own differences, are part and parcel of the whole education system.

And this is the message that the government would like to send. Just as much as the inclusion policy has worked wonders – with both the students who have special needs, and the rest of the student population who is learning that students with special needs are to be given as much support as possible – so will the idea to integrate the special schools in the college system while at the same time dividing the students with special needs according to their age.