It has been suggested that schoolchildren in Years 9 to 11 be given a maximum of eight hours a week of homework.

In Year 9, students choose subjects like sciences, new languages, business studies, accounts and computing, and they begin to specialise. I personally believe that students should start specialising in later years and have a common syllabus until Year 11. However, it seems there are no plans to introduce this change.

I cannot imagine how eight hours of homework a week for these students is enough, as they have to cope with the core subjects of Mathematics, English and Maltese, an additional two new subjects like Chemistry and Biology, as well as Religious Studies and a foreign language.

Do the eight hours also include study time? Even if they do not, is eight hours a week enough for Mathematics, the sciences, the writing of compositions (at least once every week) in English and Maltese, the working out of comprehensions and literature essays?

If this policy is implemented, it would cause  private and Church schools to become stronger and it would increase demand for private tuition.

Students and their parents are stressed as a result of private lessons. We as a nation have to tackle this problem, but to do so we need to reform the whole structure of our educational system. For example, we can implement a core syllabus until students reach the age of 16 in which they are educated in the skills needed for the modern world.

I believe that the teaching of drama, music, dancing, critical thinking, philosophy, manual skills, media education as well as sports, physical exercise and contact with the natural environment should be increased in schools. Secondary level education should be a time where the educational set-up enables all students to succeed.

Right now, a significant percentage of students fail their exams due to their intense academic programme. Perhaps Sixth Form should be spread over three years instead of the current two, and subjects should be divided into modules. Students would first sit for Intermediate level exams and then choose which subjects to study further at Advanced level.