Record pass rate in Junior Lyceum exams

A record 67 per cent of students passed their Junior Lyceum examinations, with girls doing slightly better than boys, the Education Ministry said yesterday.

A total of 3,196 students - 1,702 boys and 1,494 girls - sat for the exams and the proportion of these who passed increased by 6.3 per cent over last year.

Of these, 53 boys and 67 girls got the highest grade in all five exams, namely Maltese, English, mathematics, religion and social studies.

Another 339 students failed one exam, with 188 failing English and 211 flunking mathematics.

An improvement in results was noted in children hailing from all towns and villages. In Cospicua, for example seven of the 22 students passed, an improvement compared to last year when all the students who sat the exam failed and a special curriculum was consequently introduced.