With Easter behind us, there is always a change in the air that signals the start of a new season. The smell of spring always fills me with a sense of renewal , but my sensory memory always triggers the feeling of a new academic term and takes me back to those months when, as a student, I would be preparing for my SEC, intermediates, A level exams and university assessments.
It is a period that, for many students, is the culmination of years of hard work and diligent preparation for milestones that have long-term implications for their futures and the options that will be available to them.
The students’ preparedness and confidence is only made possible by their determination, the support of their families and the hours of preparation and dedication that our teachers put in to ensure that their students are well prepared to face these exams.
It is inevitably a stressful period for students at the best of times. Yet, that stress is only amplified when there is a global pandemic and, more so, when there is still no clarity as to how and where these exams will be taking place.
Thankfully, Robert Abela has finally acknowledged the need to prioritise education within the gradual easing of the most recent COVID-19 restrictions. Still, our post-secondary students are still unable to attend classes in person.
Furthermore, while SEC, intermediate and A level exams are scheduled to take place in June, there is still little indication of where and how this will be happening.
Will they take place in regularly assigned locations or will schools be hosting their students for on-site exams? If so, what are the public health requirements and conditions under which these exams should be held? And how will schools need to logistically cater for their other cohorts of students while such exams are being held?
These unknowns place unnecessary uncertainties on students when they should otherwise be focusing on their studies and preparing for these exams. Moreover, if the authorities are considering alternative scheduling and venue scenarios, these place different burdens on the schools and have broader implications for the education of all their students.
Our students and teachers deserve a minister who spends time addressing their needs, rather than creating direct orders for those very close to her- Mark Anthony Sammut
Many students are still wondering what scenarios and alternatives will be made available to them in the event that they are in mandatory quarantine during the exam period, should it take place. Will they be offered the chance to sit for the full schedule of SEC exams in September during the resit period? Or will their opportunities and, therefore, options available to them be restricted?
What alternative arrangements are being considered and envisaged?
When I speak to constituents who are parents, teachers or, indeed, students themselves, I have time and again been told of the pending questions regarding the changes that have been made to MATSEC examination syllabi in view of the shortfall students were subjected to over the past year.
Yet, students who will be sitting for their exams next year have still not been informed if and how their syllabi will be adjusted, which poses an extra challenge for teachers who diligently plan their teaching over a series of months and years.
Moreover, are the adjustments being made holistic and sufficient for those students who have been denied a full and consistent curriculum?
For over a year now, many of us have had to resort to working from home while those within our community who are vulnerable have been forced to isolate even when restrictions are loosened. Sadly, many of our secondary school students who are vulnerable and have had no choice but to stay away from school have not been given sufficient online alternatives that would prepare themselves effectively in the course of their education. Shouldn’t we be going the extra mile to ensure that no child is left behind or set at a disadvantage?
Uncertainties in April 2020 were understandable in the early months of a new pandemic when all across the globe were grappling with the best way to adjust and adapt.
But, by April 2021, Abela should have done more to ensure stable political leadership within the Ministry of Education, rather than subjecting it to yet another reshuffle and change at the helm. What’s more, our students and teachers deserve a minister who spends time addressing their needs, rather than creating direct orders for those very close to her.
The reality is we know when we can book a meal in a restaurant or a haircut but there is no discussion or indication of when our post-secondary and vocational students can go back to class.
Our students and teachers deserve better.
Mark Anthony Sammut, PN candidate