The recent publication of SEC results and a report by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education on the employability deficiencies of students entering the workforce have put the spotlight on the effectiveness of our educational system.
While it is true that over the past decade the rate of early school leavers has decreased and the number of University and Mcast graduates has increased, the Maltese educational system remains among the least successful and the most wasteful in Europe in terms of human resources.
International comparative studies such as TIMSS, PIRLS and PISA in reading, maths and science for both primary and secondary levels have shown that a third of Maltese students do not have the necessary basic skills. The ability gap between boys and girls is among the highest of the participating countries.
The education reforms of 2006 were meant to address this situation. As with all reforms, there is a big difference between the original intentions and what was actually achieved. The reforms upgraded physical and teaching resources, improved student support services, increased school autonomy, reduced the gap between State and non-State schools and revised the national curriculum and assessment systems.
These structural reforms were needed. But they do not seem to have made a sufficient impact where it really matters: on the quality of teaching and learning for all. There is clearly a disconnect between the fine-sounding aims of the reform for holistic, student-centred education and what is happening in our classrooms, especially in State schools.
Our system is still plagued by a gap in achievement between boys and girls, between students of different socio-economic backgrounds and between State and non-State schools. The 2006 reforms were meant to champion differentiated teaching and learning. They were meant to support teachers’ flexibility and initiative in the classroom through student-specific learning outcomes that would replace blanket examination syllabi. Yet they are being blamed for being ‘one size fits all’.
What went wrong? And much more importantly, how do we ensure that we learn from these mistakes?
The Malta Union of Teachers has blamed this situation on lack of sufficient support to teachers to address the ability mix in the post-2006 classrooms, the packed SEC examination syllabi and “Malta’s examination culture”.
Previous complaints from teachers over the years have been about such things as class size, lack of IT resources, a poor physical environment, inadequate student support services and overloaded primary school syllabi; about everything, except the quality of teaching itself. All these concerns have been addressed, and yet we still find ourselves in the present situation.
Should we not also look at the quality of teaching and the dynamics of learning, at what actually happens in the classroom, especially in the first 10 years of school life? Research shows clearly that this is what makes or breaks the successful start of students’ lifelong learning and future employability.
The present administration has taken important initiatives to narrow the gap between secondary schools and the world of work. A range of ‘second chance’ structures and systems target students at risk of school failure. It has broadened the range of vocational subjects in secondary schools and reformed the Matsec Board to ensure parity of esteem with SEC subjects.
It has been less energetic in ensuring the quality of teaching and learning for all, especially in the primary.
A decade after the previous round of reforms, the government has now issued for consultation proposed legislation that – yet again – primarily targets structural change. In its drive to address the symptoms and structures of educational failure, it should not forget its root cause.
It needs to ensure that teachers do rise up to the challenge and the opportunity provided by its new Learning Outcomes Framework for more imaginative and personalised teaching. It needs to ensure that they make the best use possible of the massive IT investment in classrooms by past and present administrations to do so.
Educational reforms are only as good as the changes that take place within the four walls of the classroom.