Systems Of Knowledge Will Be In Maltese And English: ‘Uni Students Must Be Proficient In Both Languages’
Systems of Knowledge will be taught and assessed in both English and Maltese across sixth forms as part of a proposed revamp of the controversial subject.
“We believe that students must be proficient in both English and Maltese if they want to go to University and this new Systems course was designed to reach that aim,” MATSEC director Dario Pirotta told Lovin Malta.
Systems of Knowledge will remain compulsory for all Maltese sixth form students, who will need a pass in the subject to enter University.
However, the subject’s layout is to be entirely overhauled, and will be renamed ‘Systems of Knowledge and Communication’ to reflect the change.
The current system of four modules (democracy, environment, science and technology, aesthetics) will be scrapped entirely, and the course will instead be split into two components – culture and communication.
Matsec director Dario Pirotta (left) with foreign language expert Mario Pace
While the ‘culture’ aspect involves much of the current syllabus, the ‘communication’ aspect will aim to educate students in new soft skills, such as debating, presentations, public speaking and teamwork.
The intention is for the transmission of information to no longer be broadcast solely from lecturer to student, but for students to be involved in more dynamic discussions, thereby increasing their chances of retaining the knowledge.
“We have received a lot of feedback from students that the current SOK course is a bit detached from reality and that they need to learn other things, especially if they’re aspiring to enrol at University,” Pirotta said. “This proposed revamp is a reaction to those comments.”
“Students don’t usually enjoy SOK but then realise the value of the subject after starting University. We want to make the subject more attractive to students, retaining the positive aspects while ensuring students are taught other skills that they themselves want to learn.”
The sixth form revamp is scheduled to start from the 2020/21 scholastic year and you can read more details about it here.
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