The recent announcement that Church schools would be investing in the building of new schools is positive indeed, not so much for the infrastructural changes that will be brought about but because of the will that has been expressed by the Curia to come in line with the government's decision to remove streaming in education.

It is common knowledge that the entrance examination which has been used by the Church as a yardstick for entry into its schools has caused extremely high levels of stress and anxiety among young students. The Common Entrance examinations are even more arduous than the Junior Lyceum examinations, with the latter having been used for entry into state secondary schools, because students sitting for a Common Entrance exam compete to enter a Church school; students are not guaranteed entry simply by passing or reaching a particular grade.

The fact that government and Church schools have now agreed on a way forward shall provide a fairer playing field in our education system, meaning that fewer children will fall through the system at such a young stage.