10 years ago The Times
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Junior lyceums: Cabinet approves exams report
The Cabinet yesterday approved a report outlining long-awaited alternatives to the junior lyceum entrance examination system and a public consultation process is expected to start in the next few weeks, Education Minister Dolores Cristina has confirmed.
The document recommends the phasing out of the much-criticised system and explores a method of transition from primary to secondary school, presently done through common entrance and junior lyceum entry exams.
Streaming – by means of which students are allocated to state junior lyceums or area secondary schools following a qualifying entrance exam – has long been debated and criticised primarily because it is believed to raise stress levels on 11-year-olds who sit the exams.
“Because it has been pointed out for a number of years that this is a most stressful situation, we are looking towards minimising stress on children, not by removing exams but by not allowing exams to be the only benchmark, the Minister said.
“We’re also looking at the current system of streaming,which happens from a very early age and is a very selective and exclusive system in many people’s opinion,” Ms Cristina said.
25 years ago - The Times
Friday, October 22, 1993
GWU-Air Malta dispute settled
Air Malta and the General Workers’ Union chiefs yesterday shook hands over a 20-point agreement after more than 15 hours of talks.
They were at issue over various pending claims made by the union, many of which had been already agreed upon but not implemented by the airline.
GWU general secretary Anġlu Fenech told a news conference that to stop this happening again, the union was proposing the setting up of a system to see that decisions agreed upon were implemented.
Air Malta aircraft takes wrong taxiway
A full investigation is being carried out by authorities in Malta and the UK after an Air Malta Boeing 737-200A landed by mistake on a taxiway not indicated by air traffic control at London Gatwick.
The landing was a safe one. Air Malta said in a statement that during approach to Gatwick on Wednesday evening, the crew of flight KM144 were asked to go on hold by air traffic control because the main Gatwick runway was closed for maintenance work.
Half a century ago - Times of Malta
Tuesday, October 22, 1968
Rough time for Gozo ferry Jylland
What many people had forecast would happen to the Malta-Gozo ferry service at the first storm of the year came true yesterday. People had been foreseeing that unless adequate berthing facilities were made available in stormy weather, the service would be interrupted and the ferry boat would be in peril if caught in a sudden severe storm.
The MV Jylland embarked some 500 passengers from Mġarr at 6.15am yesterday for her first trip to Malta.
The master, Capt. Publius Scicluna, who may have feared for the safety of the ferry when he realised that the rising storm could make mooring at Mġarr very risky, steamed out into the open sea in a bid to sail into calmer waters in Grand Harbour.
But heavy seas buffetted by strong gale force winds made this impossible. Passengers became frightened as water flowed through the car ramps on to the deck. Cars began to move about on the slippery decks as the ship rolled and pitched.
Mr Scicuna then decided to turn and try to berth at Ċirkewwa when the ferry had reached l-Aħrax Point at Mellieħa.