Following the launch of the document Transition from Primary to Secondary Schools in Malta last November, consultations were held over a two-month period, which was extended to three months. The consultations included meetings with the major stakeholders in the state, Church and independent educational sectors, social partners and the general public in eleven localities.

Other meetings were held with the Archbishop and Curia officials, politicians, the Malta Union of Teachers, the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, the Faculty of Education and other interested groups and individuals on request.

Feedback was also received via freephone 1571, via the e-mail address skola@gov.mt, through e-mails sent to personnel at the Education Ministry and directorates, as well as through letters and articles in newspapers, and via programmes in the media.

I wish to highlight some of the issues raised during this consultation.

The main message that came out of the consultation was that while the time has come to reform the transition from primary to secondary schools, its success depends on conviction and complete ownership, evidence-based direction and strategic decisions, as well as sustainability throughout the implementation process.

The review report had recommended that the current system of five examinations for the Junior Lyceum and Common Entrance examinations should be retained for the next two years and that the reform should start with pupils currently in Year 4. These pupils have not as yet experienced streaming and have not starting preparing for these exams.

There was voluminous feedback from parents and students recommending immediate changes to the current system to reduce examination pressure by eliminating the Social Studies and possibly the Religion examinations, or by revising the syllabi for these exams.

Parents, teachers and pupils generally welcomed the idea of having a resit session as from 2009, and the relevant logistical information was communicated to them at the beginning of March. On average, between 300 and 400 pupils fail the Junior Lyceum examination annually only because of one subject, so many saw this move as giving pupils a second chance.

The MUT, various Faculty of Education departments and numerous teachers in the state and non-state sector positively received the proposal that streaming be discontinued from September 2009 for pupils who are currently in Year 4. Church and independent school heads and teachers also gave positive feedback based on their current inclusive experiences in their schools and shared their grouping practices.

At the same time, a number of state school teachers sought reassurance that standards would be maintained and expressed concern as to whether their repertoire of skills was extensive enough to cope with the range of students in differentiated classes.

Feedback on the proposal that all primary classes in state schools should become differentiated classes from September 2010 (i.e. all Year 5 classes from September 2009 and all Year 6 classes from September 2010) has identified an urgent need for the Educational directorates to issue guidelines on forming classes based on criteria other than examination performance. The need to up-skill teachers who have been teaching Years 5 and 6 was expressed in many consultation meetings. Essentially, training in differentiation has become a crucial component in all pre-service and in-service courses.

Reactions to the proposed change from the current high-stakes selective examination at the end of primary school to a developmental national end-of-primary examination were generally positive. The most positive feedback was received from parents during the consultation meetings, especially those who have lived through the stressful experience with older children.

The introduction of an oral/aural component in both Maltese and English was especially well received and seen as a step in the right direction. However, consensus was not reached on the subjects which were identified to be used a national benchmarks.

The proposal that continuous assessment be given credit alongside examination performance was well received. Various stakeholders stressed the need to develop a standardised system of continuous assessment that involves the introduction of standards, tools and procedures for continuous assessment as well as for oral and aural assessment.

Feedback at several meetings confirmed that the Education directorates need to identify the state schools that Form 1 students would be attending as from September 2011 in the different colleges. Given that there are three state-of-the-art boys' secondary schools to date, there was consensus on the need to refurbish several other state secondary schools in the various colleges.

In all meetings, parents expressed a desire to be informed what alternative entry criteria the Church authorities will adopt for its various boys' secondary schools once they have agreed to abolish the Common Entrance examination in two years' time.

All stakeholders believe that the success of the transition reform depends to a large extent on strengthening the student support services and resources in our colleges and schools. The support structures need to be felt at classroom, school, college and system levels. The MUT, educational experts, education officials, teachers and parents have all stressed that teachers must be adequately supported to adjust to, and work effectively within the proposed environment. Additional student support services are needed so that the reform may achieve the desired outcome for the benefit of all students.

During the consultation process, a strong emphasis was placed on the need to provide teachers with the necessary resources in the classroom to guarantee the success of the transition reform. While government investment in educational resources is ongoing, it is important at this point in time to start decentralising the process of procuring resources for teaching and learning to ensure that colleges are equipped with educational resources that meet their students' needs. This system would allow more flexibility than is currently possible within a centralised system.

Feedback from the various stakeholders has emphasised the need to bring our curriculum in line with educational requirements for the 21st century. The first step in this regard has already been taken by setting up a curriculum review committee which is updating the national minimum curriculum's aims and objectives and developing a curriculum framework for kindergarten, primary and secondary education.

Various stakeholders emphasised the need for ownership of the reform and for continuous reflection. A Faculty of Education department's concluding remark was that "the school culture and the mentality of teachers, parents and students needs to change for the proposals outlined in the document to be a success".

The transition report focused mainly on a pupil assessment system that while being fair and equitable, maintains standards and has a positive effect on the teaching and learning process. As the review committee itself said, other educational issues are intrinsically linked to the assessment system, and these were addressed both in the review report and the consultation process. Underlying these issues is our commitment, individually and collectively, to make wise and timely decisions in our education system that affect the future lives of our children, and hence of our nation.

Dr Grima is director general, Quality and Standards in Education, Ministry of Education.

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