Primary schools are the foundations
As a teacher working in a State school, I am relieved that, at long last, the Minister of Education is a teacher. Dolores Cristina was a teacher in the school I attended some years ago, although she did not teach me. She also has experience of the...
As a teacher working in a State school, I am relieved that, at long last, the Minister of Education is a teacher. Dolores Cristina was a teacher in the school I attended some years ago, although she did not teach me. She also has experience of the social problems that exist in Malta. She must know that schools are different today than in my time.
Children find it more difficult to succeed today because of many problems they face, including that of vast syllabuses. There are family problems. Too much stress is shouldered by children when they sit for the Junior Lyceum examinations. Then there are children who suffer from AD/HD, autism, dyslexia, and so many other learning difficulties. These children are disadvantaged from their first years at school.
Therefore, there is an urgent, pressing need for immediate action to be taken in primary schools. The Labour Party suggested a reception year. A reception year will not solve these problems, but at least the MLP realised that children in primary schools have to be helped.
One of the solutions is very obvious. From primary level to secondary level, the class population can be cut down to at least 20. Also, if children are streamed from primary school, those who are in a lower stream will already think they cannot cope. Colleges are a good idea, but they need more planning, as the bigger the school, the more co-ordinated the project needs to be in order to be of optimum efficiency.
When I was at school, we had the facility of being put into 'sets' for Maths, English, and Maltese. So, for example, I was weak in Maltese, and was assigned to 'set 4'. With some effort on my part, I was 'promoted' to 'set 3' the next year. Thus, for most subjects, pupils in secondary schools can learn in a mixed ability classroom. Then pupils will be given special attention in the main subjects with the use of settings.
Of course, it is wonderful to have more students attending Junior College, MCAST and University. But, we must always take care that all children who enter our schools reach their potential.