The results of the survey show an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the co-education system among students and parents. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Over nine in 10 parents are satisfied with their child’s experience in a co-educational setting, but only one in four teachers feel that their students are generally doing well.

The figures emerge from a questionnaire survey carried out last March among students, parents and teachers in co-education settings, the results of which show an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the co-education system among students and parents but a more cautious response from teachers.

Co-education was first introduced as a pilot project at St Clare’s secondary school in Pembroke in 2013, before being rolled out in Form 1 across State middle and secondary schools in September 2014.

For the study, responses were gathered from 1,938 students, representing 80 per cent of the student population, as well as 400 teachers and 884 parents and guardians.

Eight out of 10 students who participated reported that they were happy and content at school, while a similar number indicated they were doing well or very well academically.

However, 21 per cent of teachers feel that their students are generally underachieving in a co-education setting, while nearly half indicated that the introduction of co-education had made no difference.

Practically, boys have a tendency to take over. Rowdiness and indiscipline conduct [sic] is the norm rather than the exception across the board

Teachers also reported various incidents of misbehaviour, bullying and even physical violence by male students against their female peers and only 17 per cent agreed that boys showed respect to girls.

“Practically, boys have a tendency to take over. Rowdiness and indiscipline conduct [sic] is the norm rather than the exception across the board,” wrote one respondent.

Others, however, said class discussions had become more interesting and varied since the introduction of co-education and that the system would help students relate better to people of the opposite gender.

Parents and guardians, meanwhile, tended to share their children’s assessment of co-education, with over 92 per cent reporting that their children had settled in well under the new system.

Announcing the results yesterday, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said the survey was not intended to provide a comparison between co-educational and single-sex schooling and that it was too early to make an objective assessment of any impact on academic performance.

He added that most of the problems teachers had reported, such as discipline in classrooms, were not exclusive to co-educational settings.

The authors of the report, Mark Borg and Maria Ciappara, said the signs showed that the first year of the co-education experience had been a positive one, but that there remained challenges ahead, particularly the transition from middle to secondary school.

Students views on co-education

“Being in the new co-ed system is a great experience.”

“I’ve been in co-ed since primary school so I like it.”

“I’d rather boys hadn’t joined us in class because they’re always shouting and don’t show any respect”

“Boys make dirty jokes and there’s a lot of bullying.”

“I have a lot of friends: both boys and girls.”

“There’s less bullying with boys and girls together.”

(Co-education in the state secondary school sector: a survey of the views of students, teachers and parents/guardians)