One In Five Students Failed Their MATSEC Maths O-Level, Maltese Results Only Marginally Better
Concerning figures have emerged from the latest MATSEC O-Level session, showing that a fifth (20%) of Maltese students sitting for maths failed the exam.
Maths was not the only ‘core’ subject trying Maltese students. Times of Malta has reported similar results obtained by students sitting for the Maltese exam in the same sitting with 17% failing.
Being ‘core’ subjects, both Maths and Maltese are compulsory throughout primary and secondary levels, and a pass in both is needed to pave one’s way into higher education in most cases.
While 20% of the 4,336 students sitting for maths failed to pass, 6% walked away with the much-revered ‘1’, the highest attainable grade. Remarkably, just under 10% of students registered for the exam did not even show up.
In Maltese, less than 4% of those sitting for the exam achieved a ‘1’ grade.
After maths and Maltese, the last ‘core’ subject is English language, of which 11% of students failed to pass while just over 4% achieved a ‘1’.
Malta’s national curriculum, often regarded as a ‘rigid’, has received its fair share of criticism in years past.
Despite being one the highest spenders on education per capita in the entire EU, Maltese students continue to perform poorly compared to their European counterparts.
Last November, Lovin Malta reported the country as being one of the lowest achievers in reading, maths and science. A third of the country’s workforce boasted a secondary school education level at best, while almost 50% did not have more than the minimum six O-Levels.
Last March, Malta’s Junior College reduced its requirements for students to enter the sixth form by allowing students to enrol without an O-level pass grade in English, Maltese, and Maths.
Education Minister Clifton Grima denied that they were ‘watering down’ their standards, lamenting a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach that ’causes panic’ among students in Malta.
In the past, students could only enter Junior College with at least six O-Levels, at grade ‘5’ or higher, including ‘core’ subjects Maths, English, Maltese, and one science subject.
Today, they still require six O-Levels to enrol, but only one must be Maths, Maltese or English.
Students missing one or more of these three subjects must attend preparatory classes for them at Junior College while studying for their A-Levels, a similar system that is in place at the GCHSS Higher Secondary School.
What do you make of our educational system as it stands? Share your thoughts by sending an email to [email protected]