Students should be allowed to resit the Italian listening comprehension exam, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo believes, insisting however the final decision would be taken by the Matsec board.

Mr Bartolo spoke to this newspaper yesterday as students are still in the dark as to whether they would be allowed to resit the listening component of the O level exam held over a week ago.

Education Minister Evarist Bartolo

“Personally, I believe that since the equipment that was used did not work as it should have and which as a result led to many underperforming, the students should be given the opportunity to sit for the exam once again,” Mr Bartolo told the Times of Malta.

Students who sat for the exam at the end of last month complained that the sound system used to deliver the narrative was emitting distorted sounds.

The equipment that was used did not work as it should have

Many of the candidates said that as a result they had not performed well and called on the authorities to take action. More students came forward with similar complaints about distorted sound during the German exam after complaints about the Italian exam emerged.

A petition raised by a student and digitally signed by some 1,772 people about the Italian listening exam was tabled in Parliament last week.

The minister also appealed to students to speak up whenever there were issues as it could prevent the same problem from taking place again.

“It’s important that Matsec informs the students what is going to happen. It’s not the ministry that decides this but what is certain is that we will be making sure that no student is, in any way, disadvantaged,” Mr Bartolo said.

He said that as a result of the issue being brought up following the Italian exam, there were no issues with the listening component for the French exam held on Saturday.

Contacted by this newspaper, the Matsec board confirmed they are evaluating the situation.

claire.caruana@timesofmalta.com