The decision to relax entry requirements for Junior College comes after a promising number of university students admitted on probation during the pandemic were able to pass their exams, University Rector Alfred Vella has told Times of Malta.

The college has changed its rules so that passes in all three core subjects – mathematics, English and Maltese – and a science subject are no longer required for entry. Instead, students will only require six SEC passes, with just one in a core subject.

The rules were issued in a legal notice on March 8 but only prompted significant feedback after blogger Manuel Delia wrote about it earlier this week.

The Malta Union of Teachers has called for the new rules to be suspended citing lack of consultation.

The rector was adamant yesterday that it was not a move to lower standards but intended as a boost to students who were unsuccessful on their first try.

Asked if the decision was backed by data, Vella said that while no specific data exists on Junior College students, the decision was made after similarly relaxed conditions at the University of Malta proved fruitful for students who found sitting for exams challenging during the pandemic.

“No such studies are really possible because what we’re experiencing is students choosing not to apply to Junior College in the first place,” he said.

“What perhaps flew under the radar is that entry requirements for the university were similarly tweaked during the pandemic and some 75 per cent of the students admitted on probation were able to meet the requirements and advance to second year.”

In 2020, the university dropped a number of admission requirements, requiring only a minimum of 36 points from Matriculation exams to receive provisional admission. Students were required to pass all of their modules in order to progress, otherwise, they were withdrawn from the course.

No lowering of standards

“We realised that, due to the pandemic, there were students who would have done better under different circumstances. As they progress through their degrees, the students are being monitored closely and the same will happen with Junior College students.”

Countering criticism, Vella said it was “absolutely not the case” that standards were being lowered.

“We are looking to help students who need a little push,” he insisted.

Academic and sociologist Michael Briguglio supports the measure, saying students should always be given more opportunities to progress.

“We have to accept the reality that not every child and student has coped with the pandemic in the same way, some adapted quickly while others did not,” he said.

I don’t agree that the path to education should be streamlined for everyone because everyone is not the same- Academic Michael Briguglio

“What I do notice, for example, is that even at university level we had an unprecedented number of students asking for extensions on their deadlines.”

Fundamentally, he said, education policy should seek to be like a trampoline, pushing people upwards and not out of the system.

“There are many students who take some time to find themselves and come into their own academically.

“I don’t agree that the path to education should be streamlined for everyone because everyone is not the same,” he continued.

“Even the university itself is not so rigorous when it comes to requirements. Mature students, for example, are often admitted if it is understood that they are pre-disposed to learning.

“I absolutely do not see it as lowering standards but giving a second chance and not closing the door on prospective students. They are being given more time to flourish and slower doesn’t mean worse.”

Unprepared for paradigm shift

However, beyond policies of inclusion, a college that is unprepared to meet the needs of students who have different requirements will ultimately short-change them, said the former dean of the Faculty of Education, Carmel Borg.

“We have to acknowledge that every educational institution has a mission and a character and JC was born specifically to lead students into university,” he said.

“All the pedagogy, the culture, the attitude of the college is tied specifically to that vocation.

Putting students in institutions that don’t have the right pedagogical background and culture that suits them is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole- Former dean of the Faculty of Education Carmel Borg

“Now, unknowingly, lecturers have found themselves in a situation where they have to cater to students who do not necessarily have the skills to find success and progress in this environment.

“Where before they could assume their students possessed basic literacy and numeracy skills, if things do not change, this can no longer be taken for granted.”

Students looking for a second chance could be thrown into a situation that is counterproductive when, fundamentally, neither the college nor its staff is prepared to cater to their needs.

“There are already several public institutions that cater to the environment required to give students a second chance,” Borg said.

“Putting students in institutions that don’t have the right pedagogical background and culture that suits them is like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole and I believe will ultimately short-change them."

Borg said another aspect that was "drastically backfiring" was the fact that many of the lecturers got to know about the measure through the media.

“There was no conversation and many are feeling they are being asked to undertake a drastic paradigm shift while being unprepared.

“No one is against inclusion but a clash of expectations and aspirations will place students in a position where they either have to sink or swim.”