The sixth form’s website states that besides socio-economic reasons, the scheme also targets students with humanitarian issues and students with “essential” commitments, such as sport-related ones.

The same stipend eligibility rules will apply, meaning students cannot have a full-time job or a part-time job of over 20 hours a week. However, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana promised last year that the threshold for stipend eligibility will increase to 25 hours a week for part-time employment.

Junior College vice-principal Roderick Vassallo told Times of Malta that the new scheme was launched due to a rise in teenage breadwinners, who are unable to juggle work and education when undergoing an intensive two-year course.

PN education spokesperson Justin Schembri told Lovin Malta that while measures to help students improve their education should be encouraged, the government must also safeguard against abuse from benefits and social measures.

“We still need to know how many students require a four-year course instead of a two-year one and whether this scheme was introduced following a study about the socioeconomic situation of JC students.”

The new flexible scheme works by essentially splitting the sixth form course into two courses.

During the first two years, students get to focus on a single A level and two Intermediate levels and sit for their exams after two years. During the next two years, they will sit for a second A Level and two more Intermediates, after which they can enroll at the University of Malta if they have received the satisfactory results.

Junior College has approved one student on an extended four-year course so far, with two applications currently being evaluated. 

Do you agree with this new scheme?