Students checking their exam results. Photo: Matthew MirabelliStudents checking their exam results. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

The circumstances leading to Malta’s EU membership seem to be a hard nut to crack for history students, to the point that some were unable to tell that Guido de Marco was foreign minister or give the exact date of accession.

The shallow knowledge of EU matters was exposed in the replies given by history students who sat for the Secondary Education Certificate last May.

In their annual review, examiners warned that interest in the subject was waning, as the number of students sitting for the exam had dropped to 185 – the lowest in the last six years.

Of these, 55 per cent obtained a grade between 1 (highest) and 5 (the lowest accepted for entry into post-secondary schools).

As in previous years, concern was also expressed about what examiners described as “worrying patterns”, such as a lack of essential historical and basic linguistic skills. While the majority answered the questions in English, many found it difficult to express themselves in either Maltese or English, especially when it came to essay writing.

A major trend that emerged in this year’s crop of students was that the majority performed better in European and international history. On the other hand, candidates’ knowledge of the content for Maltese history appears to be shallow, especially for the 19th century period and Malta’s bid for EU membership.

In the latter case, students were expected to make a brief analysis of the role played by the late Prof. de Marco in the process that led to Malta’s accession in 2004.

Though these events happened in the last 25 years, most candidates were unable to give a good explanation. The report pointed out that most students did not know that Prof. de Marco was Malta’s foreign affairs minister.

Many limited themselves, saying that he had made important decisions, but only a couple pointed out that he was the one to formally launch the negotiation process and present Malta’s membership bid on July 16, 1990.

Apart from this, students left much to be desired when tested on their knowledge of the Accession Treaty. While some correctly replied that the signing took place in Athens in 2003, others were completely off the mark, mentioning bizarre places like Valletta, Marsa and Fort St Angelo.

Only few could give the exact date of accession: May 1, 2004.

From a further analysis, it transpires that very few candidates felt confident answering questions on Malta’s relations with Britain under Prime Ministers George Borg Olivier and Dom Mintoff. This trend stems from the fact that only nine students among those sitting for Paper IIA, which is more challenging than Paper IIB, chose the topic.

The least popular questions were those dealing with the formation of the European Economic Community and its major treaties, as well as Malta’s foreign policies after 1964.

In the latter case, no feedback was given by the examiners, since only one candidate had chosen the question.

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