I was pleased to see Ms Isabelle Gatt alerting readers to the very important MATSEC Review Report (The Sunday Times, December 11). As someone who contributed an international perspective to this review, I was also pleased to see her comment that it addresses "several worthy issues".

I was, however, just a little concerned that her concentration on a point of detail in relation to Matriculation Certificate re-sit arrangements might give your readers a rather misleading impression of the very substantial nature of this review as it represents a very thorough exploration of the MATSEC examination system which has been developed in Malta over the last 15 years (see www.education.gov. mt/MATSEC.htm).

Neither I nor the authors of the Review Report stated that the Matriculation Certificate mimics the detailed arrangements which apply to the International Baccalaureate examinations. The MATSEC Matriculation Certificate has been developed specifically to replace overseas qualifications, and is deliberately geared to the local situation in Malta.

It is already clearly one of more successful aspects of the local education system, and the Review Report outlines some very ambitious proposals for taking forward this success by building stronger MATSEC procedures and structures in the years ahead.

Much work now needs to be done to take forward the proposals for strengthening the MATSEC staffing arrangements, changing MATSEC's mechanisms for both transparency and public accountability, modernising syllabi and assessment arrangements, and strengthening the contribution that teachers are able to make to all aspects of the work of MATSEC.

Ms Gatt's specific concern is over a single detail of the re-sit arrangements (having to re-sit all six subjects if the overall mark is less than 40) for students who fall short of the overall requirements for gaining University admission in the Matriculation Certificate. A rigorous selection procedure for University entrance inevitably disappoints some applicants, especially where their readiness for University has to be demonstrated across a broad curriculum.

In fact, in the nine years since its introduction in 1997, the annual number of students achieving the required University admission standard, through the Matriculation Certificate, has increased by over 50 per cent. Also, the existing re-sit arrangements each year allow several hundred students (10 to 15 per cent of those entering the University) to make the necessary improvements to their June examination marks.

Also, it is relevant to note that it is only a very small group of re-sitting students, whose initial results are sufficiently below the required University entrance score of 44, to require them to re-sit all six elements of the Matriculation Certificate.

I hope very much that the full breadth of the MATSEC Review Report recommendations can now be given serious consideration. Malta should take considerable pride in being one of the smallest states (quite possibly the smallest) in the world to be operating its own entirely local examination system. This is a part of Malta's modern heritage, which deserves to be well maintained, so that it can retain and build upon its growing international reputation.