The Malta Union of Teachers said today that while it agreed with the removal of Junior Lyceum exams, the education authorities also needed to ensure that schools were beter able to handle mixed ability classes.
MUT president John Bencini, speaking at a press conference, said the introduction of regular assessments, promised as part of the teachers’ collective agreement 18 months ago, had still not come about.
He said teachers should be better prepared to handle mixed ability classes, and the number of pupils in each class should be reduced.
Speaking on the education reform document presented by the Ministry of Education, he said the union agreed that there should be a smoother transition from primary to secondary education .
He said the MUT was recommending that streaming in the primary and lower secondary school years should be discontinued.
“Streaming may result in excessive competition between students and teachers with ultimately unproductive results. Reliance on rote memory and the production of academic work of inferior quality due to excessive pressure exerted on both students and teachers are two obvious consequences of such a system.”
Mr Bencini said teachers had complained that they had not been adequately consulted on the assessment system.
He said the union had received positive feedback concerning additional support to students who might be experiencing difficulties in basic literacy and numeracy skills. On the other hand, concern has also been expressed about the lack of adequate provision for gifted students.
The MUT president said there was general agreement on the need of having a basic curriculum across schools, whether governmental, church or independent. This ensured that students would attain knowledge and competence in key areas.
“The notion of standard assessment tools across schools is also positively considered in this regard. However, the Union notes that schools must be afforded a certain degree of autonomy in the implementation of curricular areas according to their particular ethos or vocation. A healthy balance must be attained between the basic curriculum and other areas which schools may commit themselves according to their particular character or tradition.”
Referring to a proposal for external monitoring to evaluate children's learning in the in the upper years of primary and the lower years of secondary education, Mr Bencini said this monitoring needed to be defined and should not to impinge on teachers' professional autonomy.
He said that teachers in primary schools had expressed concern about the vastness of the curriculum and syllabi. “A review with a view of down-sizing the present curriculum and syllabi is recommended. Whilst the emphasis on physical activity and the incorporation of ICT is to be commended, there must be the necessary support of professionals in these fields of specialization."
Furthermore, early screening of pupils in Primary School was considered necessary to identify those pupils who needed additional support in literacy, and appropriate support needed to be given.
At secondary level, an evolution of the current curriculum and the preparation for changes was needed and the union was recommending long-term planning and consultation with all stakeholders as this would inevitably necessitate pedagogical adaptations as well as may have a direct bearing on the deployment of teachers.