Bartolo insists on vetting of exam papers

Sec and Matsec examination papers should be closely vetted to ensure not only that they were free of spelling mistakes but also that all questions made sense, the opposition`s education spokesman, Evarist Bartolo, said in parliament yesterday.

Mr Bartolo said he felt in duty bound to express, on behalf of students, his concern about shortcomings evident in papers prepared by the Matsec board. He had no intention of undermining Maltese examinations and his aim was solely to ensure things were done better.

He said students reported serious shortcomings in the intermediate English language paper last Friday. The questions were ambiguous and students ended up confused, thus adding to their understandable tension.

His comments should however not only be applied to last Friday`s paper but also to other papers complained of.

Mr Bartolo wondered how it was possible that a structure did not exist whereby papers were proof-read and revised prior to distribution to make sure all questions were clear and made sense.

He said that in a Systems of Knowledge exam last year a picture about which students were being examined had not been distributed with the paper, with the ensuing waste of time and confusion.

The matter just had to be taken more seriously. Maltese examinations had to form part of the educational system and, in turn, the system had to have the same standards as that of other countries. This was a must more than ever before. Therefore, there had to be international benchmarks, also so that the Maltese system and exams would enjoy international recognition.

Mr Bartolo said that when he served as Minister of Education he had established contacts with an institute of the University of London with the aim of ensuring that Sec and Matsec exams attained international standards. Such contacts and cooperation had to be strengthened and he believed there should be no problem doing so, even by demonstrating professional humility. After all, one had to bear in mind that some of those setting Maltese exam papers had not been trained to do so.

He said the London institute had carried out an audit of the Sec and Matsec exams. He was not saying the report should be published as he had no intention of damaging the Maltese examination system. However, shortcomings were identified and one should not close one`s eyes to the findings simply because the report would not be published.

Even if most papers had now been set and printed, and were probably stored in some safe, Mr Bartolo said he still felt they should be closely vetted to ensure there were no confusing questions.

Mr Bartolo said he was not asking for an inquiry but the Ministry of Education should look into the matter to find out what had happened and why questions were not clear.

Mr Bartolo also spoke on the rising crime rate among the young, insisting it was an issue which the country had to seriously address. There were areas experiencing a total collapse of order and discipline, he added.

He said he feared that unless effective action was taken, serious problems would be faced within 10-15 years. Traditional networks, such as the family, the Church and voluntary, social and sport associations, had been destroyed and "the new replacing the traditional" was not solving the emerging problems.

In addition, the prison was not serving to rehabilitate young offenders and put them on track again.

Mr Bartolo also spoke on the sites earmarked by the government as possible engineered landfills. He said the decisions were not taken in a serious manner so much so that no hydrological and geological surveys had been carried out. In this case, not even European Union directives were being followed, Mr Bartolo said.