One more step ahead

My inbox is over its size limit this week. The e-mails have been coming in fast and furious. It was to be expected following the publication of the consultation document on the transition of students from primary to secondary education.

They are pouring in, with comments, queries and suggestions. The good news is that the outlook is "cautiously positive" and I use the word cautiously because that is the way to move on any consultation document worthy of the name.

For far too long we have been hearing about the stress that 10-, 11-year olds go through when they have to sit for Junior Lyceum and Common Entrance exams as they move from primary to secondary level. Five exams to be taken at the end of Year 6 and the result of these exams determines which scholastic path the student will follow, a Junior Lyceum, an area secondary or a Church school.

Not all our young students sit for this exam. The students who attend independent schools, which have primary and secondary levels, are spared the ordeal as are the girls who attend Church schools, with the exception of one Gozitan school. A number of children in state schools are weeded out by the streaming system at an early age, firmly pigeon-holing them in a way that is the antithesis of inclusivity. We lose them along the way.

Sitting for these exams is traumatic for many. Children are not allowed to indulge in hobbies, take time out, participate in anything that is not focused on the crucial exam-taking. Private lessons are the norm. Some of the parents are so intent on getting their children through their exams that life seems to hold its breath for a while. Teachers have a responsibility to ensure that as many of their students as possible make it to Junior Lyceums or Church schools and have no time to teach anything that is not syllabus oriented.

There are some who believe that children should understand at an early age that life is not a party and that if one wishes to succeed then one has to work hard to achieve that success. I'm fine with teaching children that they have to study and fulfil commitments but I baulk at the idea of robbing children of their childhood because the education system demands this.

What we are trying to do is to give children the right to grow, to learn, to develop without undue stress. We are trying to give our children the possibility to develop skills, competences and talents at an early age by introducing a system that is more developmental than preparatory.

We are proposing a system that allows children of mixed abilities to move upwards in an education system, that looks at each child as an individual and that believes that every child is a potential success. We are proposing a system that will still lead to exam-taking for the purpose of national benchmarking but that will introduce continuous assessment to highlight the strengths in a student as well as the vulnerabilities so that both may be addressed. We are looking at a curriculum review that will credit creativity and innovation rather than fact- gobbling and regurgitation.

Reform is never easy. This is one that I believe in wholeheartedly. All the people who have worked on this reform for so many years deserve to see it in place. A Review Committee with representatives from state, Church and independent schools worked solidly for 18 months to finalise the report, which they did after widespread consultation. There are meetings being held with parents, teachers and all interested parties in different parts of the island. We need feedback. We are aware of the apprehensions, the fears of several sectors. Parents who believe that their children will fare worse if their children are in mixed ability classes. Teachers who bring their own experiences into the picture and are wary of what the change will bring. For let me be very clear: We are talking about change here. Before change comes we must ensure that everyone understands what this entails.

The authorities are well aware of the support structures that are needed to bring about this reform. The setting up of the college system and the introduction of different levels of responsibilities have all paved the way.

In the coming months we will witness the recruitment of various new posts as established by the reform agreement signed last year with the Malta Union of Teachers.

I have received a number of e-mails from parents who want the reform to start now so that their children who are in the upper classes of primary school will benefit from it. This is a vote of confidence in the proposed reform. However, we need time to introduce reform into our education system, otherwise we will not be doing justice to it. What we have done is to give the opportunity to students who do not make the grade in one subject to take a re-sit, starting from 2009. There are other ways and means of easing the burden before we move into full blown reform. But I await feedback and, by the looks of it, I will not be disappointed.

Mrs Cristina is Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.