Labour MP criticises government for anxiety on Junior Lyceum

The Labour Party's education spokesman, Evarist Bartolo has accused the government of causing unnecessary anxiety among parents and children with its miscommunication on the Junior Lyceum exams.

Last week, the Education Ministry ended weeks of uncertainty when it confirmed that the exams would be held as usual, after applications for the tests were not issued in November as they were scheduled to do.

The government clarified that exams would be held but, two months from the exam, it still did not say whether children would be tested on three or five subjects, Mr Bartolo pointed out.

He criticised the way things were being handled, stressing that the authorities should be more sensitive to people's concerns, particularly ahead of the planned education reform.

Government's "indecision and incompetence" does not benefit the reform, he said. When the ministry published a reform document in November on the transition between primary and secondary school, it was stated that the Junior Lyceum exam for this scholastic year would be retained. But people got concerned after the failure to issue applications.

When the issue was first raised some weeks ago, the ministry said it would be in a position to make a final decision after it evaluated feedback on the reform document. Some days later, however, the ministry informed that the exams would be held.

Mr Bartolo said the changes would only have succeeded if they were truly discussed and planned out. He warned the government that if it persisted on this road, parents and teachers would turn against it, adding that their backing was necessary for the changes to succeed.