Increasing the compulsory school age by two years to 18 will only work if the education system is revamped to be more relevant and engaging for students, according to various education experts.
The focus needs to be on restructuring the system so that young people find it motivating and rewarding to continue their education beyond 16 years, said educational psychologist Carmel Cefai.
The director of the Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health at the University of Malta added: “In principle, I agree with increasing school leaving age to 18.”
Carmel Borg, former dean of the Faculty of Education, said the idea of increasing compulsory school age was worth exploring through research and consultation with stakeholders, including students.
“Definitely, the two ‘extra’ years cannot reproduce the scholastic experience that has ruined several students over the years. The compulsory post-secondary years should continue to serve the holistic needs of students rather than focusing exclusively on employability. Certainly, the one-size-fits-all principle will be a recipe for disaster,” he said.
Earlier in the week, the Malta Chamber of Commerce recommended increasing compulsory education by two years to 18 to address the alarmingly high number of early school leavers. They also suggested an overhaul in the education system to improve standards for both students and teachers.
It also defended its proposal on Sunday after teachers' came out against it.
Upping the compulsory school age has been floated around over the years with former Education Minister Evarist Bartolo also raising the issue.
Today, Bartolo sticks to his belief: “We must take steps to ensure all young people between the age of 16 and 18 are YEETs: youths in education, employment or training, to raise the skill level of all our young people. So, we must increase the provision of meaningful and relevant working and training experience for young people. This would be both beneficial for the young people themselves to give them the necessary life skills to develop their talents and for the economy to reduce the number of unskilled and unemployable young people.”
An education system that’s failing us
Malta is facing a problem in terms of what the Chamber of Commerce termed as “human capital” with not enough workers to fill jobs.
Over the past months, several reports revealed a picture of a struggling education system as the rate of early school leavers – classed as 18- to 24-year-olds who have a secondary school education at most and are not in further education or training – remains high.
According to a recent study by the Central Bank, the country managed to half the rate of early school leavers from its 2005 levels but continues to have the highest rate in the EU. The 16.7 rate in 2020 is still short of the EU’s 10 per cent benchmark.
The researchers noted that while early school leavers may still find a job, lacking basic qualifications “compromises employability later in life due to lacking skills and has economic and social costs”. In June, a strategy for early school leavers was launched for public consultation.
Would forcing students into another two years of education solve the issue?
According to Borg, who specialises in curriculum studies, the answer is no.
The professor has criticised the current education system in the past, saying there is a mismatch between the skills and competences tested by studies and those taught in school.
“Multiple educational scenarios will have to be explored to address the needs and interests of students. All types of education, from formal to non-formal, will have to be recognised. This requires a massive mobilisation of the private and voluntary sectors to provide recognised educational opportunities together with the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cefai cautioned: “We need to be careful how to go about it. For instance, increasing the school leaving age to 18 and enforcing it by law may backfire against the most vulnerable and marginalised students and those most likely to leave school early. By criminalising leaving school before 18, they and their parents will be the ones to be the most penalised and further marginalised.”
Creating an opt-in system
Some years ago, Cefai and his colleague, Paul Downes, a professor from Dublin City University, suggested starting off by introducing an opt-in post-secondary education instead of the present opt-out system.
He elaborated that with the current system, once students complete secondary school, they need to enroll at another school to continue post-secondary education – such as Junior College, Higher Secondary or MCAST. Some may not have the entry qualifications, while others may be discouraged by the transition from one school to another. Through an opt-in system, students could choose to stay on at their current secondary school for at least a further two years.
Increasing the school-leaving age to 18 and enforcing it by law may backfire against the most vulnerable and marginalised students
“However, the education of 16- to 18-year-olds must be meaningful and developmentally appropriate for young people; some students would have already disengaged from the system and are typically counting the days to the end of compulsory schooling. So, rather than more of the same, they need a system they find motivating and useful to achieve their goals in life, and which prepares them for the transition from school to work and adult life. In this respect, the curriculum has to be tailor-made and relevant to their needs as young people on the threshold of young adulthood,” Cefai said.
Train the teachers
Finally, Cefai stressed on the importance of engaging students’ interest and active participation from an early age by focusing on training teachers adequately to use relational, student-centred and participatory approaches that steered away from the traditional authoritarian methods.
“Instead they focus on mutual, respectful relationships in which students have an authentic voice and participate actively in decisions related to their education, such as the co-creation of material, collaborative learning, instructional and restorative classroom management and self-assessment. Young people are more likely to engage in systems based on autonomy, democracy, ownership and collaboration,” he said.
But, according to Graham Sansone from the Union of Professional Educators, a reform in education has to start from the decision makers.
“Our education system is not dynamic enough. This is not because teachers are not creative. It is because they have to follow decisions taken by people sitting in offices and it becomes a rat race to complete the curriculum,” he said.
As for increasing school age, he said that Malta did not have the infrastructure and teacher capacity to handle these extra two years. The same concern was mentioned by the Malta Union of Teachers.
From a student perspective, he believed students should not be forced to complete another two years of education but should be offered other options – such as the reopening of full-time trade school after secondary school.
“We should not be forcing students into studying, but create avenues they are interested in,” he said.
Students are not just ‘human capital’
The Maltese Association of Parents of State School Students said discussions on whether to increase compulsory schooling till the age of 18 should consider an overhaul to the whole system to persist in narrowing the achievement gaps among students.
This would require more qualified educators and further effort to entice more young people to the teaching profession, the association said, adding that there is a need for broad consultation with all the stakeholders, including the students themselves, educators, parents and industry leaders.
“Education should first and foremost focus on the development and the fulfilment of the individual to contribute as an active citizen in the community,” they added.
Maria Pisani, senior lecturer in Youth and Community Studies at the University of Malta concurs: “Certainly, there is a desperate need to reform and invest in our education system and acknowledge the needs of our students and educators in a holistic way that responds to the challenges and realities of the 21st century.
“However, students are not just human capital, they are young people with hopes, dreams and needs that go beyond the needs of the economy. Leaving students with ‘no option’ but to continue their education is just another brick in the wall, hardly the way to inspire a joy for learning and personal flourishing,” she said.