Admissions to higher educational institutions for the next academic year will be proceeding regularly after it was announced that SEC and MATSEC exams would be cancelled.
Education Minister Owen Bonnici announced on Saturday that schools would remain closed until the end of June and that SEC examinations due to be held next month were cancelled.
Students who were due to sit for ordinary level exams will be assessed by the MATSEC board based on their mock examination results, or can choose to sit for their exams during a September examination session.
All students sitting for intermediate or advanced level examinations will sit for their exams during the forthcoming September session.
However, admissions into the University of Malta and G.F. Abela Junior College should not be impacted, a University of Malta spokesperson told Times of Malta, as students will be allowed to apply and begin the academic year provisionally, pending the outcome of their exams.
“Senate predictive grades will be used to determine SEC results. This will give students a qualification at Level 3 or 2. The predictive scale will not determine the grade per se, but they can be used for admission to Junior College,” the spokesperson said.
“Students will still be eligible to sit for the written SEC exams in the various subjects during the session in September.
Students will be eligible to apply and join Junior College on a probationary period for the academic year.
The closure of schools until the end of this scholastic year brings a new scenario
As students will still have to sit for advanced and intermediate level exams in September, admissions to the University of Malta will go ahead, with students being allowed to start their courses in October on probation.
A resit session will also be made available to the students late during the first semester of the academic year that precedes January exams.
University Students Council (KSU) president William Farrugia told Times of Malta that the student union was happy that its recommendations had been taken on board.
He said it was paramount that measures struck a balance between refraining from penalising students for a situation that was beyond their control and preserving the quality of education that the institution had to offer.
“We’re quite happy that the interests of students have been safeguarded. It’s a complex situation, but it doesn’t make sense, both for students and the economy, to have one year with no graduates,” Farrugia said.
“The priority was to keep the system going in whatever ways possible. We didn’t want a situation where students would have to repeat the year for missing a month or so of school at this stage.”
Junior College Students Council president Kleaven Pisani echoed the sentiment, and said that, from feedback, it seemed that the majority of sixth form students at the college were on board with the measures.
“These are unprecedented times, yes, but you work for two years to take your exams. It would be a huge let down not to take them at the end of that journey,” Pisani said.
In a statement, the Secretariat for Catholic Education said that discussions with the Education authorities and the MATSEC board were still ongoing, at the end of which it would be publishing revised admission criteria for St Aloysius College and De La Salle College sixth forms for the academic year starting in September.
In a reaction to the minister’s decision announced on Saturday, the Malta Union of Teachers said it was satisfied with the decision, which “reflected its positions made in the respective fora”.
“This is a compromise in the current very difficult and unique situation, and which does not discriminate against students while avoiding additional burdens on educators,” the union said.
“The closure of schools until the end of this scholastic year brings a new scenario, which requires further discussions and decisions.
“All this has been achieved while at the same time ensuring salaries and respecting conditions of work of all educators in the circumstances.
“The decisions reflect in full the commitment of all to safeguard the health and safety of educators, students and the respective families without penalising students.”