The Education Ministry is planning an overhaul of the Matriculation system to ensure it is made more relevant to today's needs.
"We need to review the Matsec system," Education Minister Dolores Cristina said, echoing the words of the Rector of the University of Malta, Juanito Camilleri.
During an education seminar last Friday, Prof. Camilleri said the time has come for a critical revision of the Matriculation syllabus because it was demanding too much from students.
In 2004, then Education Minister Louis Galea had commissioned a team to review the objectives, operations, impact and quality of the Matsec examination system. A report was published in October 2005 listing recommendations on how the system could be strengthened.
Although no reform took place, Ms Cristina was now considering taking up the suggestions made in the report. A ministry spokesman said she would soon be advising the Matsec board on the way ahead.
Ms Cristina yesterday highlighted the government's commitment towards improving the education system to ensure it maximised the potential of all students.
She was speaking during a press conference held to mark good practices within state schools one year after the 10 colleges started operating.
She spoke about the ongoing reform in the transition between primary and secondary school, which would do away with the much criticised streaming mechanism that pigeonholed schoolchildren according to their overall exam performance.
The minister said a draft had been prepared for the reform of special schools that catered for students with disabilities.
The reform would restructure the schools, especially because the number of students had been decreasing as disabled students were attending mainstream schools as inclusivity was encouraged, a ministry spokesman said.
Ms Cristina pointed out that a lot of progress had been made in the education sphere with the introduction of the college system through different projects. One such project is that of Ħal Ħrafa (Village of Fables), organised by the Maria Reġina College, where students were encouraged to conjure up a make-believe world through their stories.
The project pushed children to use their creativity by writing fables, enacting short plays and making props out of recycled material. Six stories will soon be printed on Smart supermarket's cloth bags.
St Benedict College set up a Chess Academy to help students expand their critical thinking skills that helped them with subjects like maths.
Year 3 students from St Nicholas College participated in a pilot project that brought children in a circle to discuss topics affecting their personal development.
The Emotional Literacy Through Circle Time project helped students build self-esteem and better express their thoughts and feelings.
The Sport On The Move project, organised by St Ignatius College, targeted children's health and team building skills and encouraged students to attend sports events after school.
The Managing Environment Related Initiatives Together project aimed at teaching children how to recycle, save energy and respect their environment.