New subjects such as accounts, community care and ethics, and the extension of the co-education system to all nine colleges are among the changes marking the new scholastic year.
Yesterday, more than 25,500 students filed into classrooms in State primary and secondary schools after the long summer holidays. They were welcomed back by nearly 3,500 teachers, 1,800 Learning Support Assistants (LSAs) and 455 members of the senior management teams.
Visiting a number of schools in Malta and Gozo yesterday, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said the government aimed to gradually reduce the number of children in individual schools through having separate middle schools with no more 300 Form 1 and 2 students in each.
Co-education was tried out in Form 1 as a pilot project last year at Pembroke’s Saint Clare College. This year, all Form 1 students will be taught in mixed classrooms.
Mr Bartolo said that from this year Form 3 students can choose to study accounts while ethics has been introduced in primary and secondary schools for those students who do not take up religion.
Five vocational subjects have also been introduced at Form 3 level: agribusiness, engineering, community care, IT and hospitality. Art will be compulsory for all Form 1 students while physical education will be increased to two hours per week.
The syllabus for primary school students was also revised as it was too extensive, Mr Bartolo said.
This scholastic year also sees the introduction of subject proficiency achievement, an alternative method of teaching languages to pupils which focuses on learning a language for daily use as opposed to a more academic approach.
The focus will be shifted on to speaking and listening skills rather than writing and comprehension. Mr Bartolo said the new approach would be adopted with Italian and the hope was that it would be extended to other languages in the future, including Maltese and English.
What the pupils think
How does it feel to be back at school? Times of Malta asks three students moving up to Form 1 at St Theresa College, Birkirkara
Britney Grima, 11: “I think it’s great to be back at school – I’m looking forward to meeting my old friends and making some new ones. I like the fact that we’re mixed – same as we were in primary school. This way we get used to each other’s company.”
Craig Gauci, 11: “I was a bit worried. I struggled a bit during primary school and secondary school is sure to be tougher. But I’m looking forward to learning new subjects. I think it’s great we’re mixed because it encourages a mix of ideas as well.”
Rachelle Falzon, 11: “I’m looking forward to being in a new school with new friends, new teachers and new languages to learn. I hope to become a vet when I’m older.”