One in three MCAST students ‘lack secondary school skills’

More than 30% of students entering MCAST need to be taught skills they should have already learned at secondary school, a senior college official has revealed.

The statistic was shared by Edel Cassar, director of strategy implementation at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology during a panel discussion on the future of education.

She said the figure showed how the system was not preparing students for post-secondary education.

Seventeen per cent of students who entered at lower levels managed to leave with a higher qualification, showing the importance of granting a second chance, she said.

Her remarks formed part of a wider conversation in the discussion about the need for an overhaul of the education system during the event this week organised by EY Malta in collaboration with Times of Malta.

Kevin J. Borg, director general at the Malta Employers’ Association, said Cassar’s figure was “very alarming” and highlighted an urgent need for so-called transversal skills, which can be used across a wide variety of jobs.

“They give you the power to adapt in a world that changes rapidly,” he said.

We seem to want to hit targets that keep shifting

Panellists identified one problem with the school curriculum as politically

motivated targets that shift with each new policy direction. Therese Camilleri, coordinator for Vocational Education within the University of Malta, criticised the current approach.

“Our education system is created by policymakers who are politically driven,” she said.

“We seem to want to hit targets that keep shifting from, for example, work-based learning to now digital-based learning…  We forget that the core is the learner… We have tired teachers as we expect them to be miracle workers.”

Ian Mifsud, director general at the Secretariat for Catholic Education, questioned why children are made to choose academic paths as young as age 11, saying reforms have failed to address fundamental issues because of “the politically loaded system”.

He added that Malta is one of the few EU countries where such a heavy emphasis is placed on final exams, a model he suggested does not lead to meaningful learning.

Clayton Micallef Grimaud,  a senior director at the National Skills Council, echoed the need for more effective career guidance and a stronger emphasis on skills that prepare students for a changing world.

Bernadette Stivala, head of San Anton School, emphasised the value of experiential learning as part of a balanced curriculum, saying that “experiences are what children remember”.

The panellists were speaking during an event titled ‘Education Reimagined ‒ Transforming Education, Shaping Futures’. It was the second in a series of four events organised by EY Malta in collaboration with Times of Malta.

It was moderated by Ediana Guillaumier, senior manager within EY People Consulting and Learning.