Co-education to improve students' talent pool

The implementation of co-ed in state schools will serve to improve the talent pool among students, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said today.

Government's decision to rollout co-ed in all state secondary schools as from the next scholastic year was met with concern by the Malta Union of Teachers, who pulled out of the national co-ed committee insisting that government has taken a rushed decision.

The MUT also insisted that the government had not evaluated the implementation of co-ed at Pembroke state school, deemed a pilot project.

"Pembroke was never a pilot project. We don't experiment with children," the minister said.

Turning to national statistics, Bartolo said 40% of female students obtain the necessary six SEC subjects to proceed to sixth form. Among male students, this rate falls to 14%.

"The best talent pool of students in state schools is among the female students. When students move to Church or independent secondary schools, the talent pool of students in secondary state schools receives a blow. Co-ed will help balance out this issue," the minister said.

Bartolo added that a co-ed system will help improve the boys' educative performance without hindering the girls' performance.

The full implementation of the co-ed system will take six years, Bartolo said refuting accusations of rushing through the reform.

The minister said it was a pity that MUT pulled out of the committee, noting that the ministry wanted MUT to be side-by-side with it in the deployment of teachers.

"Talks are still being held with MUT and even though they are no longer members of the committee their advice is still being sought," he said.

Asked what the education directorate has learnt from the Pembroke experience, Bartolo said "the world did not come crashing down".

"The students themselves cannot understand why we keep asking them how they are doing, since they have always been in a co-ed class."

He added the government would be looking at every college's own reality and will help those schools which require better surveillance.

"Good teaching remains good teaching and good teachers remain good teachers," Bartolo said, adding that international studies have shown that the best results are obtained in co-ed schools.