The University of Malta and the Junior College are waiting to hear whether the health authorities will lift COVID restrictive measures for students in quarantine who miss SEC or Matriculation exams.
A spokesperson for the two educational institutions said that, following Prime Minister Robert Abela’s pledge to lift all restrictions, the situation was very fluid.
The two institutions had planned to meet to discuss a way to minimise the repercussions for students who have to miss exams due to quarantine but are waiting for an update from the health authorities.
Currently, if students are in quarantine on a day of an exam, they miss out on the exam completely.
There are no systems in place which allow students to sit for exams remotely or at a later date.
The only solution is for a student to go for a resit – only available for core subjects – but this would be reflected in their grade or they will have to sit for the same exam the following year.
During the past two years of the pandemic, the University and the Junior College allowed entry for students who missed an exam due to quarantine so long as they reached the required grade when they sat for the exam the year after.
SEC (equivalent to British ‘O’ level) and Matriculation (‘A’ and intermediate level) exams have started this month with oral exams while written exams are planned to start within a month. In the case of orals, where more than one date is available, students in quarantine can be given another date.
We eagerly wait to hear about updates in MATSEC regulations that will ensure our students do not continue to miss out- Bernie Mizzi, Independent Schools Association
However, this cannot apply to written exams, explained Dario Pirotta, director of the MATSEC Board.
He explained that MATSEC examinations, being national examinations, may only be held on the published date and at the designated venue.
“Hence, candidates who happen to be in quarantine for exams where there are multiple dates are being rescheduled to a later date on presentation of their quarantine letter,” he said.
“In cases where there are no alternative dates left and in subjects with only one exam date, no arrangements can be made by MATSEC. In such cases, candidates are encouraged to seek assistance from the receiving institutions,” he added, referring mainly to the University and the Junior College.
Parents express concern
Bernie Mizzi, from the Independent Schools Association, said schools were concerned that, if things remained as is, students would continue to miss out.
“We eagerly wait to hear about updates in MATSEC regulations that will ensure our students do not continue to miss out. They have already missed out on so much during the past two years due to COVID,” Mizzi said.
The Maltese Association of Parents of State School Students, on the other hand, said that, throughout the pandemic, it insisted that adequate procedures should be set in place to avoid creating further education barriers in the examination and assessment systems for students who have already had to cope with a multitude of challenges.
“The current situation may tarnish their academic progression,” the association said, adding that it was aware parents had expressed their concern about the situation.