Education Ministry tells union it had nothing to do with Junior College entry requirements policy

The Education Ministry had nothing to do with the change in policy over the Junior College entry requirements, the Union of Professional Educators has said.

A few days before the 2022 general election, it was announced that for a student to enter Junior College, they would not need a pass mark in all the O-Level core subjects – those being Mathematics, Maltese, and English. Instead, one only needs a pass mark in one of those subjects to enter the institution.

Since then, controversy arose, with mixed opinions regarding the change in policy. Some in favour said that this will give students who have difficulties in one subject a chance, as they would have additional time to pass the O-Level during the two years of sixth form.

On the other hand, some said that the change in policy will bring about extra stress on the students, who now must focus on the failed O-Level, as well as the A-Levels and Intermediates. The entry requirements for the University of Malta have remained unchanged.

The Malta Independent spoke with the Executive Head of the Union of Professional Educators (UPE) Graham Sansone, who said that the UPE also made contact with the ministry, showing its disapproval towards the decision.

“It should have been targeted intentionally only towards students who have found difficulties with the education system throughout the years due to a developmental disability, such as autism,” Sansone said.

He said that this would have been beneficial for youths who required assistance during primary and secondary school years, as it would have catered for their needs.

Sansone said that the decision will bring about problems which will be seen throughout the next five years.

He also said that the only thing the Education Ministry said in response is that the decision came from the University Rector, and the Ministry had nothing to do with it. Sansone said that the final political direction should come from the Ministry itself, as it is an issue which concerns it.

Sansone said that the UPE is awaiting an official invitation from the Education Minister, whose ministry said that it should contact the union as soon as possible to discuss the issue.

The Malta Union of Teachers has since called for a suspension on the policy change, saying that the changes had been made without consultation, whereas they needed to be considered thoroughly and consensus sought. The union had said it has already communicated its objections and queries to the Rector at the University of Malta and the permanent secretary at the Ministry for Education.

This newsroom had also spoken with a lecturer at Junior College, who also confirmed that the lecturers at the institution were not consulted about the decision, and they came to know about it after it was revealed to the public.

The lecturer had said that only members of the Junior College board, as well as those in the University Senate, knew of the change in policy.

University professor Josef Lauri had also said that, as far as he knows, no teacher or lecturer was even aware of the policy change. He said that from what he had heard, Board members thought that the policy was brought forward for discussion, but in fact was presented as a decision.

Prof. Lauri questioned the effects the decision would have in the long-term, as well as what went wrong during the eleven years of compulsory schooling.

The Malta Independent spoke to President of the Malta Union of Teachers Marco Bonnici to see how the situation has progressed since the announcement. Bonnici said that the union has had a meeting with the University rector, where the members put forth their objections.

“The meeting was not conclusive,” Bonnici said. He said that currently, the union is awaiting an availability for a meeting with the Education Ministry, which has not yet communicated fully with the union.

Replies from the University communications office repeated the clarifications University pro-rector Carmen Sammut made in a Facebook post, where she said that the entry requirements were changed in favour of students.

“This new arrangement makes it possible for more students to pursue post-secondary studies,” the University communications office said.

The education ministry has promised to answer calls and emails from the newsroom for comments on the issue this coming week.