University Rector Juanito Camilleri has called for a “serious evaluation” of the education system to ensure that more school leavers continue with their studies.

“Every year, about 3,000 students graduate from the University of Malta but these are not enough. There are still towns and villages in Malta from which, in some years, we would count ourselves fortunate to see a single person graduating. There are parts of the island where, consistently, there are only a few graduates each year. We must seek to understand why this is the case. This is not a situation we find acceptable,” Prof. Camilleri said yesterday.

Prof. Camilleri was speaking at the Victory Day Commemoration at Great Siege Square, Valletta.

He said the country had to evaluate the system, improve it and, where possible, enhance student preparation.

“This should occur not through debating the interpretation of statistics, or through the lowering of standards, or by dismantling rigorous examining,” Prof. Camilleri said.

“This is such a delicate and vital issue that it deserves to be made a subject for mature national debate and it should never fall victim to sensationalism or to mindless factionalism.”

A major overhaul of the national curriculum is under way, with a draft document published a few months ago. It is currently in the consultation stages, which will culminate in a national conference planned for December. One of its main aims is to give more students the skills and desire to pursue further studies.

Prof. Camilleri spoke of the importance of Malta’s victory in the Great Siege of 1565 in a European context. That victory, he said, also led to the building of Valletta and the foundation of the University, which, he noted, required more and more investment for it to be a modern university worthy of its name.