Students from the Three Cities perform badly in exams - again

Students from the Three Cities - Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa - were again among those who achieved the lowest pass rates during the junior lyceum entrance examinations.As the lowest pass rates continued to be concentrated in the south, figures obtained from the Education Division show that this year Cospicua had the lowest pass rate with just over a quarter managing to make it, less than 2007 when 37 per cent successfully sat for the exams.Last year Vittoriosa students had registered the poorest performance with a 27 per cent pass rate, increasing to 44 per cent this year. As for Senglea, the pass rate dropped from 40 per cent last year to 30 per cent.This might not come as a surprise to most as it is a known fact that the area is a nucleus of social problems that are inevitably reflected in school performances.Sociologist Carmel Borg, a specialist in curriculum studies, said poor exam performance in these areas was due to a mixture of deprivation and structural problems in the educational system. He said the area attracted people with multiple problems and low income, due to low rent rates. This scenario, coupled with "a history of structural problems in the education system", made it very difficult for children from the area to do well academically.There is also a high turnover of teachers and headmasters in schools in the area so they do not get to integrate with the community, Dr Borg said.A spokesman for the Education Ministry said the set of schools that made up the Santa Margerita College was working on issuing an educational strategic plan to address various aspects that ensure that the majority of students acquire basic skills in the first years of primary school. It also aims to provide support and help to children with behavioural problems.As thousands of children started school this week the government announced the launch of a consultation document aimed primarily at exploring alternatives to the current streaming system - under which students are allocated to state junior lyceums or area secondary schools following a an entrance examination. Even though the Education Division's figures show that during the past eight years the overall pass rate in junior lyceum exams has progressively increased from 52 per cent in 2000 to 61 per cent this year, this system has long been criticised for increasing stress on young children (usually aged 11) and promoting a sense of failure.The figures also showed that, once again, Gozitan students performed better than the Maltese on average. A total of 70 per cent of students from the sister island obtained a pass rate in (243 of 346 students passed) compared with 60 per cent in Malta (1,960 of 3,279).The highest passes this year were registered by students from Xemxija, Lija, San Lawrenz and Xlendi. These were followed by Kercem, Iklin, Burmarrad, Munxar and Attard.While this may be interpreted as highlighting the north-south divide, one must take note of the fact that the percentages are worked on the number of applicants and passes and that applicant numbers ranged from one student to almost 200 in different localities.It is also important to note that not all children in localities would have sat for the junior lyceum examinations as some may attend Church or private secondary schools.