Poor exam results just tip of failing education system

A report published by the MATSEC board gives a grim figure about the standard of our education system.

We cannot be happy about the number of students who have failed in the core subjects, which are mandatory for all students and are taught right through the compulsory years of schooling.

These results have been obtained by young men and women who are to be our next crop of workers, entrepreneurs and leaders, and it does not look encouraging.

It must immediately be said that the capability of a person is not only gauged by the way he or she speaks and writes in English and Maltese, or count numbers. Some people are skilled in other things, and everyone deserves to find a place in life.

There are people who sign with a cross and yet they have built business empires, while others who boast of having four or five degrees can barely string a sentence together and, when they do, you can easily spot their spelling or grammatical errors.

Many have been successful in their lives in spite of not doing well at school. Often they are used as examples to encourage students who are not proficient in the classroom but can excel in other spheres.

They are, of course, the exception and not the rule.

This is because leaving secondary schooling without the basics will make it harder for anyone, and also harder for the rest of the community. Thankfully, many will still find a job, but others will fall by the wayside – which would mean that society should be there for them, if we really believe in the value of solidarity.

Yet, in this fast-paced world we are living in, is society showing enough care and giving enough support to them? Some would say that this “solidarity” is nothing but a burden on those who work hard who must sustain others who do not.

Don’t’ blame Covid

It would be wrong to just blame Covid for these results.

The pandemic did not help, as the students have faced a rather turbulent scholastic year, which followed another which was cut short in March 2020 when schools were closed days after the first virus case hit the islands.

But these results are very similar to the ones obtained in 2019, in pre-Covid days. Last year, exams were not held because of the pandemic, with students given a grade based on their work during the (six-month) scholastic year.

The report published by the examiners shows that this year, 17% of students who sat for the exam in Maltese failed; the figure was 19% in 2019.

Eighteen per cent of students failed their mathematics exam in 2021, compared to 17% two years ago.

Fourteen per cent of students failed their English exam, which was a higher rate of failure to the 12 per cent registered in 2019.

The similar results indicate that the number of students leaving secondary education without a pass mark in one or more of the core subjects was worrying before the pandemic hit. So, although Covid did play its part, the Maltese education system was producing these results before the pandemic hit.

What is equally of concern is that the same report shows that the great majority of the students who did actually pass the exam obtained low grades. This means that they struggled to obtain a pass mark, indicating that their grasp of the two official languages and mathematics is poor, to say the least.

Only a small percentage of them obtained the top grade.

Exam-based

In spite of some changes that have been made, our education system is still based on examinations. We still collectively think that having a longer list of subjects in which a pass is obtained, at least at the end of secondary school, is important.

Obtaining 12, 13 or 14 ‘O’ level passes might appear good on paper, but then it would mean that the child in question spent less time in other activities that are equally crucial for his or her development as a person – sport, drama, art, dance and other leisure hobbies should be given more attention.

Having said this, Maltese, English and maths are labelled as core subjects for a reason. The two languages are important as they form the foundation of communication, which is a two-way street – one of understanding and one of explanation. Mathematics, on the other hand, leads to the building of mental discipline and encourages logical reasoning.

Added to the value of the three subjects per se, Maltese, English and maths play a crucial role in understanding and learning all the other topics that are taught in schools.

Here is where the problems start, especially with regard to the two languages. This is because there are unfortunately many educators who teach other subjects without having a good grasp of either Maltese or English. They may be excellent in biology, geography, history, IT and other subjects but if they cannot express themselves well it is bound to have a negative effect on the students.

If, then, educators cannot spot a spelling or grammatical error in assignments they are correcting, students will assume that their mistakes are not mistakes at all.

One can argue that it is not up to the biology teacher to point out the difference between “there” and “their”, but it certainly does not help students if teachers do not correct them when they commit such errors. Students will suppose that they did nothing wrong.

Education starts at home

There is more to education than just learning how to write and count.

Apart from academic subjects, children attending school are also taught how to behave in a group, show respect towards authorities and how to follow rules.

We are lacking here, too.

Most teachers are professionals who are dedicated to their students, do their utmost to be of assistance to them and often go beyond their duties to help. Yet it is clear – seeing the younger generations of today – that there are shortcomings in the way children are taught the basic skills of living in a society.

Putting the blame solely on teachers would however be completely wrong. Because education is not only the teachers’ responsibility; parents must play their part as well, and it has to be admitted that many fall short in this respect.

There was a time when a punishment given at school used to be followed by another given by the parents. These days, instead of supporting the teacher in disciplining a child, parents tend to take his or her (the child’s) defence. This destroys the effect of the punitive action, as the child then feels empowered (by the parents) to misbehave again.

No-one is advocating any kind of corporal punishment, but discipline should be exercised both in a school and at home. No kid will die if he or she spends a day away from a mobile phone or computer, but it seems that parents today are reluctant to castigate their children even when this is necessary and for their own good.

Instead, many of today’s parents mollycoddle their children beyond what is reasonable, and this makes it then harder for teachers to do their job properly.

We have moved from a society which, by today’s standards, would be deemed as being overly strict to a society which is too relaxed. We’ve gone from one extreme to the other. But children who grow up in a non-disciplined environment find it harder to adhere to rules when they become youths and later adults. And this creates problems, including at the workplace.

Please, thank you, sorry, excuse me

These words are the basics of decency, and yet you almost never hear them being said.

Please, thank you, sorry and excuse me. Why is it so hard for people to use them when dealing with others, especially strangers?

It would make things so much easier, and yet their non-usage turns any conversation into one of mistrust and aggressiveness.

Being polite and respectful does not appear to be part of our behaviour towards one another. This is more so when involves people in authority.

Not so long ago, the arrival of a policeman would have stopped young people in their tracks and make them fear that they were doing something wrong, even though deep down they knew they weren’t. Today, the arrival of a police officer almost sparks the idea of a challenge to bring out a reaction from the officer, and possibly there would be someone filming the scene on a mobile phone.

Many then do not know what the word “queue” means. It is so irritating to see people blatantly trying to be served before others who are patiently waiting in line. Bad manners, indeed.

We should worry that so many students are faring badly in their English, Maltese and maths exams. We should equally worry that so many of them are leaving the compulsory education years without having learnt the basics of decent behaviour in society.