The Education Ministry has launched a probe after a Maltese language exam at public secondary schools featured questions about an opinion piece written by a minister.

Students were asked to read an article by Environment Minister Miriam Dalli and answer a number of questions about it, as part of a reading comprehension exercise.

The January 2024 article, titled ‘Positive achievements in waste management’, highlighted the government’s work to increase recycling rates and reduce waste dumped into landfills.  

Students taking the test were asked to determine whether the article highlighted “positive or negative results” and to “find a phrase that shows how Malta’s economy is doing well”, among other things.

Lawyer and former PN MP Jason Azzopardi flagged the questions on Facebook, saying that the test was pure “propaganda” on Dalli’s behalf.

He claimed that the test was administered to 15-year-olds “with learning difficulties”.

Nationalist Party education spokesperson Justin Schembri also disapproved. 

"Partisan politics should never end up in an exam paper," he said. 

Environment Minister Dalli, the subject of the exam questions, immediately distanced herself from the matter and said she had first learnt about the exam question from the media.

"An article written by me as a minister should have never been included in an exam paper," she said. "I have children myself and understand that seeing a political name in an exam paper rankles."

Education Minister: 'No common sense' 

A short while later, the Education Ministry issued a statement to distance itself from the test question.

“No ministry has any access to exam papers or the contents of exams,” it said. “There are specific structures and processes in place to ensure that exams are led by technical people within the education sector, with no political or administrative interference,” it added.

When contacted, Education Minister Clifton Grima was even more direct.

"It's hard to understand the lack of common sense that is required to draft an exam question like this,” he said.   

He emphasised that his ministry has no control over what questions are asked in exam papers. 

Grima's ministry will now be setting up an investigative board tasked with establishing the facts in this case.

The board will also be asked to provide recommendations on how to improve the current system of drafting exam papers, the ministry said in a statement. 

No information about the board members, its timeframe or specific terms of reference was provided.

Correction 4.10pm: A previous version stated that the exam questions concerned a speech given by the minister. It was an opinion piece she wrote.