The government wants more young people to have the relevant certificates to be able to fill the jobs the new economy was creating, Education Minister Louis Galea said yesterday.
It was extremely worrying, according to the minister, that a number of students who completed their compulsory education left school without any form of certification.
"This is why we have embarked on a complete reform of the education system from early childhood to higher education through lifelong learning. The examination system is a fundamental building block in the education architecture."
Dr Galea was speaking at the end of a public conference on the report Matsec: Strengthening A National Examination System.
The consultation conference was attended by over 200 students, parents, teachers, educational administrators and trade union representatives.
Key elements of the report were presented and workshops held on the main areas of concern.
Dr Galea said the report's recommendations were being presented as a comprehensive plan for the strengthening of Matsec.
"The government wants young people to sit their exams, obtain certification of high quality and standards, have the right to see their paper after it is corrected, and the opportunity to sit a new form of exam, apart from Sec and Matsec, aimed at certification of vocational subjects and basic skills," he said.
Dr Galea explained that the ministry's strategy over the past three years had been to focus, analyse and constructively criticise key areas in education, among them the Matsec system.
While Matsec had borne fruit, after 10 years it was definitely time to put the system under scrutiny.
In March 2004, a working group was set up chaired by Dr Grace Grima, with Prof. Saviour Chircop, Prof. Frank Ventura and Director of Curriculum Raymond Camilleri as members.
Among the Grima report's observations is the fact that the last year of schooling is extremely short with exams starting as early as April, which lead to cramming, fear of not covering the syllabus in time and the perceived need for private lessons.
The report recommends that examinations are taken five weeks later than now to reduce the need for students to take re-sits.
It also recommends the introduction of a new basic exam based on an assessment system of basic competencies, to ensure that students do not leave school without certification. All students leaving compulsory education would be bound to sit for a set examination in order to certify the skills acquired.
With this in mind, Dr Galea said that more vocational subjects will be introduced to cover the range of interests and aptitudes of a wider range of students.