Once again, Malta has scored abysmally in the Pisa results. What is of particular concern to me is the fact that state schools still rank behind church and independent schools. This is an injustice to the majority of students on the Maltese Islands who attend state schools.
More needs to be done. Whilst one cannot deny that a lot is being done structure wise, with new schools being built, and older ones being refurbished, unfortunately, this is not the way to go.
Social justice for these children can be gotten by raising standards and expectations of all students, once again instilling discipline in schools, and putting importance on kindness, and respect, both towards authority, towards each other and also towards the environment. Being smart is also a value which has gone with the wind.
Letting students come to school with their tracksuits, or letting boys wear earrings is not the way forward. Whilst I have nothing against equality, schools should be allowed to set their own policies and not have them imposed upon by the Education Department. Giving students everything they want is strictly not on. In life, one cannot get everything one wants. A rethinking of the way that Maltese state schools are heading is to be urgently done.
The full details about the Pisa results can be found in this link:
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/education-system-in-the-dock-as-students-score-low-in-major-survey.
