One college that has seen a high number of students not sitting for O levels is St Margaret College, and according to head Stephen Cachia the reasons are complex, varied and multifaceted.
“Social issues related to habitual absenteeism, challenging social circumstances and lack of parental support definitely play a part and impact on students facing difficulties throughout their school years,” he said.
But that was not the whole story. The fact these students did not do their SEC exams did not necessarily mean they had wasted their school years. However, since he believed schools should strive to make a positive difference in students’ lives, these statistics presented a challenge.
“This should make us reflect on the way in which past and present systems are not supporting these students enough. A breakdown of the figures clearly reflects the divide created by the selective secondary school system that is presently being phased out,” he said.
The largest and most significant proportion of students not sitting for O levels, he pointed out, came from the former area secondary schools.
These were students who had failed the Junior Lyceum exam at the end of primary school, were labelled academic failures at a very young age and entered what often became “an unjust, self-fulfilling spiral of academic failure”.
Another factor could be traced to the way in which the secondary school curriculum was weighted towards traditional, academic content-based syllabi, rewarding students who tended to do well in traditional assessments, such as exams.
“Students who learn by doing, and who may have technical and creative skills, have little space to thrive in this system,” he said.
Reforms taking place in the educational system were also aimed towards the challenge raised by students who left compulsory education with no certification.
“Much has been done but more remains to be done. A particular challenge will be to link the changes envisaged by the proposed national curriculum framework with changes to the SEC examination system.”