Pressure on schoolchildren

The results of the WHO survey on schoolchildren came as no surprise to most parents and teachers who see their children being forced to compete in a rat race for qualifications. It is unfortunate that in Malta we have created an educational system specifically to ensure the highest possible pass rate in examinations, at the expense of actually teaching our students to think.

Our system immediately goes off to a bad start where children as young as three years are taught numbers and letters in kindergartens (in other European countries this process normally starts around the age of five).

At a later stage the detailed syllabus in various subjects caters specifically for the fast learners, as teachers can ill afford to reduce the pace for those whose learning capacity is not so highly geared. The solution offered to this is for parents to become part-time teachers at home, going over lessons which their child has failed to grasp first time round, or as an alternative send their child to private lessons.

Reaching their teens, our children are faced with the daunting prospect of having to sit for O level examinations in about 11 subjects in the space of three weeks (whoever thought of this idea should try and have a go at this himself). No wonder our children are the highest pressured children among the countries surveyed.

Children should be given more time to play, understand and experiment. Discussions should be encouraged in the classrooms and various opinions explored. Visits to cultural events and places of work should be part of the regular agenda to prepare our children for the life ahead, otherwise we will be creating a society of bookworms who are not capable of putting their education to practical use.