Does education matter?

In her controversial and stimulating book bearing this title, Alison Wolf (Professor of Education at the University of London's Institute of Education) shows "how misleading it can be simply to believe that 'education matters'. Instead, we are sorely in need of clearer thinking about which education matters, how, and when." Wolf notes how governments have neglected basic education provided by primary and secondary schools and indulged in huge amounts of wasteful spending on higher education, vocational programmes and adult training.

Wolf concludes than an examination of what is going on in developed countries should make us rethink and reorder our priorities and focus most of our energies and resources on improving the quality of basic education. She writes: "Clearly, people without good levels of basic academic skills are at a permanent disadvantage in our world."

In her concluding chapter Wolf stresses that "the one and only part of current education where we found clear evidence of economic benefits was the central 'academic' skills of primary and secondary education, such as mathematics and reading and writing skills."

At the same time Wolf makes a passionate plea to policymakers not to narrow down the objectives of education to economic growth. Schools must also carry out their essential role "in creating citizens, and in passing on to new generations both an understanding of their own history and society and particular moral, intellectual or religious values..."

The state of our primary schools

A couple of university colleagues sent me a copy of the review of Wolf's book carried by The Economist. Another friend sent me a copy of the book. I take these gestures as a sign that Wolf's book strikes a chord with those who are worried at what is happening in our primary and secondary schools.

A rigorous analysis of the results of the Junior Lyceum entrance examinations carried out a few weeks ago should serve as an important opportunity to understand what is going on in government primary schools attended by two-thirds of the children living on these islands. The exams themselves are being designed not simply as grading exercises to classify pupils and send the winners to the Junior Lyceums and the losers to the area secondary schools. The exams are serving as benchmarks to indicate the level of skills and competences mastered by pupils after six years of primary education.

We should be worried at the failure rate of pupils in these Junior Lyceum entrance examinations not because they have failed to make it to the Junior Lyceum, but because their exam performance shows that they lack the adequate literacy and numeracy skills to move forward in education and in life.

In recent weeks a number of government and Opposition MPs have been submitting parliamentary questions on primary schools: PQs 34,542, 34,814, 33,285, 33,054 and 33,929 ... just to mention a few. In them MPs raise several important issues such as the poor quality of the buildings, the lack of support for children with special needs, and the supply of regular teachers in disadvantaged areas where there is a high turnover of staff.

The travesty of education for all

The performance of Year 6 pupils in this year's Junior Lyceum entrance examinations should serve to focus our attention on what is happening in our schools and the steps we need to take to ensure that the largest number possible of pupils leave primary education with the skills and attitudes that will help them get on in life. All the rhetoric about universal education and the vision of education for all remain a travesty as long as many children continue to leave primary education ill equipped for the future.

There were 4,168 pupils attending their final year in government primary schools in Malta and Gozo; 536 did not even sit for the Junior Lyceum entrance examinations. When you add to them those who sat and failed, the number of those who did not acquire the necessary skills in their primary education reaches 2,342 (56 per cent of all pupils). Only a third of Gozitan male pupils passed the Junior Lyceum entrance examinations.

Even in Malta male pupils continue to fall behind female pupils. Out of 2,065 boy pupils only 827 (40%) passed, eight per cent less than the success rate of girls. Out of 1,774 girl pupils 853 passed (48%). Female pupils in Gozo emerged at the top with 88 (56%) out of 156, which is still five per cent lower than in previous years.

These results show the need for a robust educational plan for all primary schools in Malta and Gozo. There are 11 government primary schools in Gozo. In five of them more than half of their pupils failed in the Junior Lyceum exams. In nine of them more than half of their boy pupils failed.

There are 50 government primary schools in Malta. In 15 of them more than half of their pupils failed their Junior Lyceum exams. In another 18 schools more than half their boy pupils failed. In another two schools more than half of their girl pupils failed. This adds up to 35 (70%) schools where serious action needs to be taken to improve the performance of pupils.

Education priority zones

The areas which should be declared education priority zones not to allow the majority of children to fall behind from such a tender age coincide with those singled out in the 1999 national literacy survey.

The survey raised very disconcerting questions: "Gender differences in attainment: action is required to ensure that boys do not fall behind in this important life skill. Differences between state schools and Church and private independent schools: are two-thirds of pupils being condemned to an inferior education? A policy aim could be that state education will be as good as independent. Regional differences are worrying. What are the reasons for the relatively poor performance of pupils in Inner Harbour and Gozo? Poverty? Transient pupils? Immigrants? Investigation appears to be warranted."

Since the publication of the survey report, government has failed to act in a meaningful way on its recommendations. Educational failure in primary education threatens the country's social cohesion and economic prosperity. Pupils without basic skills grow up into young people who risk getting caught in the vicious circle of drugs, crime, unemployment, domestic violence with the state trying to mend - too late and with very little chance of success - the wrecked lives of individuals who have been branded failures since the age of seven.