The circular that effectively introduces banding in State primary schools does just that. After three short years of mixed abilities, we were led to believe that the system has failed. We have also been told that the fact that international studies have shown us to be wanting in a number of areas means drastic measures are called for. In came banding like a knight in shining armour.

The provision is meant to pull us out of the doldrums. Yet, it threatens to do the opposite. The meagre results quoted in all the international studies have nothing to do with mixed abilities. They have all to do with decades of savage selection of children. It seems that from the lessons of history we have learnt pretty little.

The minister has launched a consultation document that focuses on four main strategies. One of these is the need to reduce the gulf that exists between children who do well and children who do not. Another aims at addressing children in high risk of poverty who are very well represented in the latter category.

A provision meant to pull us out of the doldrums threatens to do the opposite

Days after the launch of this consultation document, in came the infamous, ill-timed and ill-conceived circular. The contradictions could not have been more glaring.

Numerous studies, both national and international have consistently shown that selection of students creates labels, which have a long lasting impact on the life chances of children. Those who end up on the wrong end of the stick will remain there for the rest of their educational experience.

A self-fulfilling prophecy kicks in. Children start to believe that they are the problem; that they are not worth it.

The selective process itself speaks more than a thousand volumes on inclusion. The children we aim to rescue will become the victims of the instrument we have chosen to help them.

We have been advocating the maxim that a one size fits all cannot remain the mantra of our education. Going for mixed abilities has forced us to look at ways through which children are valued on the basis of different strengths that they possess; that each strength is to be celebrated, because it is only in this way that children feel valued.

This has a lasting impact on their engagement in the educational process. Instead, we have regaled our children with a one-size-fits-all exam that sifts the ‘wheat’ from the ‘chaff’. It is what we are doing in practice. The result is the resumption of a rat race we had hoped was dead and buried.

Children and parents will be forced to focus on the high stakes exam in Maltese, English and mathematics at the tender age of seven. The stress which was squeezing the life out of our curriculum, children, parents and teachers in equal measure will again become the elephant let loose in a china shop.

This is not to mention the pervasive one-size-fits all tablet-from-the-mount aura of the actual circular. It directs all primary schools to indulge in banding, forgetting that there are small schools that cannot be part of it.

It also talks of an adequate gender mix in the bands, contradicting the strict ranking of students according to exam results. Where will disadvantaged immigrant students be placed? And what about a good number of statemented students? Will we lump all in band B? Will we create ghettos again? How can we do this to our children?

We are missing a golden opportunity to keep consolidating all the work the educational community has put in to come to grips with mixed abilities.

• We need to address class size, where the situation is overwhelming, to make it work better.

• We need to use the concept of colleges as we should, by releasing the suffocating hold of a top-heavy dinosaur on home-grown initiatives.

• We need to keep looking at ways to make training more owned.

• We need to award initiative and weed out mediocrity.

• We need smaller schools where children feel they are more than just a number in a crowd.

• We need to give visibility to so much good practice that can inspire and lead.

• We need to foster stronger links with parents rather than foster a siege mentality due to sporadic incidents.

• We need to show more faith in our teachers.

• We need to empower.

It is this which we should be discussing. Taking what is a short cut in reverse will never make the situation better. It is a recipe to make it worse.

The author is Alternattiva Demokratika’s spokesman on Education.

Mario Mallia is a head of school