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‘Education cannot be a one-size-fits-all system’ – Evarist Bartolo
Labour MP says national curriculum draft not focused enough on socially disadvantaged pupils.
15 December 2011, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
1 min read
Labour says the educational system is constraining bright kids at a very early age.
Labour wants to see discussions on the national curriculum framework focus on the human right of education and social justice, fearing too much emphasis is being placed on linking education to jobs.
Shadow education minister Evarist Bartolo said the discussion merits an analysis of the current state of education.
"We believe our educational system is constraining bright kids at a very early age. We want a system that takes care of a coloured diversity, and allows it to flourish. We feel this system is too top-down, and standardises and spreads uniformity inside schools," Bartolo said.
The Labour MP said the national curriculum was informed by a 'neoliberal and conservative policy' that links education to economic development.
"We have to listen more to students, parents and teachers, as well as to the social partners," Bartolo said.
Bartolo also said the national curriculum document did not deal effectively with how it will cater for socially disadvantaged pupils.
"The curriculum is written in a way that assumes all children are motivated when they come to school, without paying attention to their realities at home. In the southern harbour area alone, 31% of children live at risk of poverty. We cannot imagine a one-size-fits-all educational system. It has to respond to different realities."
Bartolo also said that different social background also had different expectations from the educational system.
"There is a strong link between social background and educational achievement. Children from deprived backgrounds find it more difficult to achieve educational success. We want a social and economic policy that helps pupils from disadvantaged areas."
This is the third national curriculum for Malta, a review that includes representatives from the Directorates of Education, the Faculty of Education, the Matsec Examinations Board, and Church and private schools.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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The Maltese language did not die out during hundreds of years of foreign rule and imposed foreign language so it is absurd to think that it will die out if we start focusing a bit more on English again. Thank God a politician has finally had the guts to point our the elephant in the room - the level of English is deteriorating drastically in Malta (and it is the reverse snobbery attitude of "ahna Maltin that has led us to this) and without English there will be no incentive for businesses to relocate to Malta - conequence? See Greece.
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I fully agree with the notion that "Education cannot be a one-size-fits-all system" although such a statement can be subject to different interpretations. Let us not get sidetracked with the Language instruction question for this is not fundamental and there is place for some schools to teach in English and others in Maltese as is the case in our church and private schools. The essential is that students leave school with the ability to read and write and able to express themselves on the social and economic issues around us. They should also acquire a resonable level of numerical skills and technical knowledge. The important thing in my view is that a national curriculum should only cover core knowledge and competencies and be defined at a high level. It should be possible to cover it in not more than 60% of available school time and not put teachers into a strait jacket with a normative curriculum which needs more than 120% of time to complete. Each school through it principal, teachers and parents should be allowed to detail it and expand it as they deem fit and thus create their own school charisma .
Chris Tanthi •
Briffy,
It was shocking to hear Mr. Bartolo, who militates in the same party to which Alfred Sant, Lino Spiteri, Karmenu Vassallo, Ġużè Ellul Mercer and Ġużè Bonnici ,and other prominent writers in Maltese, gave the best years of their lives come out with this linguicidal policy. Shorn of its utilitarian value, our language will probably die out within 2 or 3 generations, were Mr. Bartolo to have his way.
In fairness, it should be pointed out that when Mr. Bartolo spoke about language teaching as a component of the national Curriculum on a subsequent occasion, he made no mention of this proposal. However, the PL would do well to clarify whether Mr. Bartolo’s statement – which, after all, emanates from its Education spokesman – reflects party policy.
The fact that virtually all exam papers are set in English is in itself reflective of the extent to which Government is disregarding the letter and the spirit Maltese Language Act which binds it to promote the language in all spheres, including the educational one. There is absolutely no need why Religion, Social Studies, History, Maths and similar subjects should be taught and assessed in a foreign language.
One would hope that the political parties will come out with policies which truly promote the language. Well-trained teachers should not find it difficult to utilize Maltese to teach all subjects. The notion that Maltese does not lend itself to the teaching of scientific subjects is possibly as mistaken as the idea bandied about in the early decades of the last century that Maltese was not suitable for use in the Law Courts.
Jurgen Cachia •
@briffy: Solid pedagogical research shows that children learn best if they learn in their native language for, at the very least, the first years of school. This then allows them to transfer linguistic and cognitive skills to learning other subjects, languages included. This means that they will learn English better if they have learnt Maltese well, and if they have learnt other languages in Maltese well. otherwise you get the situation where they do not know either Maltese or English well - which is the current problem in Malta. Sure there are exceptions -but they remain just that, an exception.
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"Manuel Mangani...it would be a brilliant idea if English were to be adopted as the language of instruction in all subjects, except for Maltese and other languages, where instruction would be carried out in the respective language. After all, exam papers in all subjects other than Maltese and other languages, are set in English and students have to answer in English; text books are also in English, so it follows naturally that it would be very helpful for students to be given instruction in English
Chris Tanthi •
Is Mr. Bartolo still in favour of establishing English as the language of instruction in schools?
