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___________________________ Raymond Scicluna Skrivan tal-Kamra - my journey: Achieving through different paths EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL 1 INTRODUCTION The Ministry fo r Education and This evolved educatio n system is also Employment is proposi ng a more equitable inspired by t he philosophy of values quality secondary education which creates a legacy w it h the past, adapts to the present and tries to anticipate future challenges and opportun ities in a based education pro mulgated in the Respect for A/1 2 document and guided by the Education for A/13 globali sed world.
Educat ion and training audit report.

It is very risks become irrelevant if tangible links much in line with the w ith life beyond the school walls, remain UNESCO Sustainable sporadic and superficial.
The intend ed Development Goal 4 inclusive and comprehensive equitable in ensuring inclusive and quality learning programmes for the equitable quality education compulsory secondary schooling st ru cture and promoting lifelong learning is d riven both by t he va lues of inclusion, opportunities for all".4 social justice, equity and diversity, and the four main targets of the Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta 2014-2024 1 .
Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all Ministry for Education and Employment.

Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta: 2014-2024.

Sustaining foundations, creating alternatives.

increasing employability.

Malta, 2014.

Available from: https:j /education.gov.mt/strategy/Documents/BOOKLET%20 ESM%202014-2024o/o20ENG%2019-02.pdf Ministry for Education and Employment and Employment.

Respect for All Framework.

Malta.

2014.


Available from: http:// education.gov.mt/en/resources/News/Documents/Respect%20For%20AII%20Document.pdf European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education.

Education for All.

Special Needs and Inclusive Education in Malta: External Audit Report.

Malta, 2014.
Malta, 2014.

Available from: http://education.gov.mt/en/Documents/Specialo/o20Needs%20 and%201nclusive%20Education%20in%20Malta%20%C2%AD-%20Externalo/o20Audito/o20Report.pdf http:/ /en.u nesco.org/education2030-sdg4 2 EQU ITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL SUSTANING QUALITY AND EQUITY IN LEARNING It is in the national interest that we (MQF).
The learning programmes understand the basic trends which have are also intended to provide formed the educational aspirations, policies a seamless progression from and reforms which promoted learning middle to secondary schools and that is relevant to personal, social and subsequently to post-compulso ry economic development.

Our past and academic and vocational present experiences have helped identify education, and eventually to the areas of strength and limitations of standing world of work.
It learns from the past, practices, suggesting what should be but it is not a proposal for bringing back sustained or improved, as well as where the previous, highly contested selective prevention or intervention are necessary to schooling system.
The Ministry is equ itably promote values which help achieve proposing a significantly more adaptable, the targets highlighted in the Framework for comprehensive schooling system made up the Education Strategy for Malta 2014-2024. of equitable quality learning experiences Malta has accrued a very strong tradition in students with different learning styles and general academ ic provision in compulsory aspirations, and through different modes that better meet the educational needs of and post-compulsory schooling.
The of assessment.

Ministry for Education and Employment is committed to sustaining this educational The proposed secondary school system journey whilst expanding it to increase is also the result of benchmarking ou r accessibility to quality vocational system against national, european and training and provide opportunities for international successful systems.
All more applied learning programmes to learning programmes are to remain all students ensuring parity of esteem committed to high standards of learn ing and equivalence of qualifications.

The which is relevant, effective and timely, Ministry is therefore proposing a single respect diversity in a strong democracy structure comprehensive and inclusive founded on social justice, equity and secondary school with equitable quality economic growth.
We need to ensure academic, vocational and applied learning that all children develop into young programmes within the same school people and adults equipped with the for all students.

All programmes are to necessary skills and attitudes to be active equitably provide quality learning with citizens, equipped with the necessary parity of esteem leading up to Level3 employab il ity skills and to give valuable of the Malta Qualifications Framework contributions in society.
/ ACHIEVING FOUR TARGETS The Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta: 2014-2024 is a manifestation of the Ministry for Ed ucation and Employment's commitment to provide present and future generations with opportunities to develop the necessary values, skills and attitudes for active citizenship and employability in the 21st century and increasingly close the gap between the world of education and the rest of the world: including the world of employment.
Malta's compu lsory schooling system can become even more relevant to the individual and the wider community by offering varied, high quality programmes tailored to individual capacities.
To this end, the proposed evolution of the secondary school system is a practical attempt in reaching the Ministry's targets to: 1 Reduce the gaps in educationa l 2 Support educationa l outcomes between boys and ach ievement of chi ldren at- girl s and between students risk-of-poverty and from low attending different schools, and socio-economic status, by decrease the number of low achievers and raise the bar in literacy, numeracy, and science reducing t he relatively high incidence of early school-leavers; and technology competence, and 3 Raise levels of student retention increase student achievement; and attainment in fu rther, Provide present and future generations with opportunities to develop the necessary values, skills and attitudes vocational, and tertiary education and training; and 4 Increase participation in lifelong learning and ad ult learning.
4 EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL NO BUSINESS IS AS USUAL Global education reforms stress the need for currently only covered marginally within students to learn to adapt to and challenge the seconda ry schooling system and, as a new contexts, to acquire more transferable result, the potential of a number of learners skills to avoid skills obsolescence, and to may not be fu lly developed.

The t rend develop a socially just consciousness as a within the current compulsory schooling way of being.
model, in which quality and standards are mostly defined through one-size-fits-all Malta is investing heavily in its education standardised benchmarks, is that alternative and training system and is taking measures learning programmes do not offer concrete to modernise curricula, improve teaching opportunities for accredited learning up to quality and promote digital skills (Education and Training Monitor 20165 ).
While the MQF level3, at times requiring students to forfeit their chances to atta in an accredited transition from education to the labour level altogether.
market results to be easier than in most other EU countries, the early school leaving rate Notwithstanding the contested legitimacy {19.8%) remains the second highest in the EU of and debates revolving on international (against an EU average of 11.0%), the tertiary assessments, there are arguably undeniable educational attainment rate {27.8%) is still findings about educational systems in low against the EU average of 38.7%, and general and our local system in particular participation of low-skilled adults in lifelong that we are determined to continue acting learning is rather low (ibid.}.
upon.

In general, the overall rate of basic skills attainment among our children is still Evidence from the current secondary very low in such tests.

For instance, Malta's school system shows that one-size does 10-year old students have performed very not fit all and it emerges as marginal ising poor in both Maltese and English reading, and learners who struggle and are deemed to in science and in the 2011 PIRLS and TIMSS have failed the current provision of general studies respectively.
According to the latter education curriculum.

Compulsory schooling study, Malta was the country that dedicated locally is often characterised by learning the least amount of time to teaching that is predominantly geared towards science (39 hours per year, compared with successful attainment in examinations, an international average of 85).
We need with aims and objectives that are more to increase the number of 10-year olds conducive to exclusively academically who reach Intermediate and Advanced oriented education routes.
Vocational International Benchmarks in reading, training and applied learning routes are mathematics, IT, and science and technology EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL 5 by offering relevant learning programmes and improve the link between the worlds of different modes of assessment that facilitate education and employment, and to improve without usurping learning.

the skills base of our 25 to 64 year olds.


We also need to reduce the number of Whilst building on our sound heritage, we low-achievers in the basic subjects among can no longer act complacent with such 15-year olds.

Our 15-year olds' performance issues and hence business in education on PI SA 2009+ tests is markedly lower than the EU average in all subjects6 .

should not be as usual.


Our mission is to provide equitable quality academic, vocational and applied education and The youth unemployment rate (11.8% in training to all our students.

Evidence from the current secondary school system shows that one-size does not fit all 2015) and the proportion of young people not in employment, education or training (10.4 % of 15-24 year-olds in 2015) in Malta are below the EU average7 .
The employment rate of recent employees aged 20-34 is now the highest in the EU, at 91.6% in 2015.

Despite all this, the employability skills issue needs to be refined and developed further.

We need to ensure that the learning experience at MCAST and the University of Malta is relevant to sustain and increase the current employment rate of our graduates (20-34 years), to European Commission.

Education and Training Monitor 2016, Malta, p.2.


Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/education/sites/ education/files/ monitor2016-mt_en.pd f The publicat ion of the PISA 2015 results in December 2016 will provide a more up-to-date pict ure of Maltese 15-year olds' ' performance compared to other countries.

European Commission.

Education and Training Monitor 2016, Malta, p.6.


6 EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL TOWARDS AN INCLUSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL The Ministry for Education and Employment is proposing an equitable quality learning provision in secondary schools8 that respects all students' multiple intelligences and provides different learning programmes and different modes of learning assements.
In secondary schools all students will have compulsory lessons in key competences9 , including the option for functional subjects, and will also have the opportunity of , vocational11 selecting optional academic10 and applied12 subjects.
All compulsory and This evolution is both inclusive and optional su bjects lead up to EQF/MQF Level comprehensive, and challenges the current 3 as opposed to the current provision where compulsory one-size-fits-all schooling there is no parity of esteem when it comes system.

The new secondary schooling to remedial learning provision in comparison system includes the provision of general to traditional/academic mainstream academic education, vocational education learning programmes.
and training, as well as applied learning.

It aims to extend and widen the learning experience t hrough lea rning programmes that lead to qualifications at MQF Level 3.
The new secondary schooling system includes the provision of general academic education, vocational education and training, as well as applied learning ' Key competences might include Maltese, English Language and an option of a foreign language, Mathematics, Science, Digital Literacy, Religious Studies I Ethics, Personal, Social and Career Development, Physical and Health Education, and Humanities (Geography, History and Social Studies).
n· Cu rrent traditional academic subjects include Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Accounting, Business Studies, History, Geography, Social Studies, Environmental Studies, European Studies, and Computer Studies.

Subjects like Design and Technology, Graphical Communication, Home Economics, Art, Music and Physical Education are considered as academic subjects under the current system. "

As from scholastic year 2015-2016, vocational subject areas have been included among the options of secondary education.
These include Engineering Technology, Health and Social Care, Hospitality, Information Technology and Agribusiness.

The Learning Outcomes Framework (2012) include also the following five vocational subjects: Artisanship, Construction, Textiles & Fashion, Hairdressing & Beauty, and Media Literacy.

There are a number of applied subjects being taught in both the Alternative Learning Programme schools for 15 year olds and in a number of secondary State schools for low-performing students.
The new secondary school reform shall provide applied quality learning programmes to all secondary school students, including Engeneering, Science, Hospitality, Information Technology, Agribusiness and Gardening, Retail, Construction, Artisanship, Business, Creative Arts.

EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL 7 Current compulsory one-size-fits-all schooling system -~-· Only one route leads to MQF Level 3.

Some students fai l to reach that level and have to take alternative learning programmes.
No Level MQF Level 1 MQF Level2 Proposed equitable quality learning provision system The new secondary schooling system includes the provision of general academic education, vocational education and training, as well as applied/practical learning.

It aims to extend and widen the learning experience through learning programmes that all lead to qualifications at MQF Level3.
8 EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL EQUITABLE LEARNING PROGRAMMES Learning programmes could be broadly for programmes at MQF Level3-4, or any other defined to fall under either a transitional and/ institution providing MQF Level4 programmes or a qualification stream.

The former stream (and eventually higher), providing also the prepares students to further their studies after opportunity to achieve employability skills secondary schooling both in academic or needed to enter into the labour market.
vocational institutions, while the latter prepares students with employability skills which can be Applied learning provides practical hands-on used actively in employment.

Both streams are learning in a dynamic and progressive learning complementary and essential for the Maltese environment.

It falls under the qualification labour market due to current and foreseeable stream which gives students employability skills skills shortages.
According to the National Employee Skills Survey (2016)13 vacancies were necessary for the world of work whilst allowing them the option to progress to post-compulsory mostly available for clerical support workers educational Institutions providing programmes and professionals.
Clerical support workers and at MQF levels 1-3 as may be required or to higher service/sales workers were recorded as hard-to programmes at MQF 4 (and possibly eventually fill vacancies, and vacancies for craft and related even higher).

trade workers, professionals, technicians and service/sales workers took longest to fill.

Vocational programmes facilitate learning of technical skills and knowledge and falls under General academic learning programmes both the transitional and the qualification stream.
fall under the transitional stream and aim to Vocational education allows students to progress prepare students to further their studies in to post-compulsory educational institutions, post-compulsory institutions, including namely MCAST, ITS and other post-compulsory the Institute ofTourism Studies (ITS) for educational institutions providing further and programmes at MQF Levels 3-4, Malta College higher education programmes whilst giving the for Arts, Science and Technology 4 (MCAST) necessary employabilty skills.
The proposed learning programmes provide flexibility for the students in either enrolling in one of the three learning domains (i.e.

academic, vocational or applied), or opting for option subjects from more than one domain.

National Commission for Further and Higher Education, Malta Enterprise, Erasmus+, Jobsplus.

National Employee Skills Survey (2016).

Malta, 2016.

Available from: https://ec.europa.eu/epale/en;content/ national-employee-sl<ills-survey-malta.
,_, MCAST has recently set up 3 Colleges with t he intention of creating focu sed strategies that address the specific needs of students at different levels while maintaining a healthy d ialogue with all interested stakeholders from employment and industry in order to provide the best programmes for the needs of society and of the local industry.
This corporate structure includes the Foundation College (MQF Levels 1, 2 and 3), the Technical College (MQF Level 4) and the University College (MQF Levels 5 to 7).

EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL 9 PROGRESSION FROM THE MIDDLE TO THE SECONDARY SCHOOL AND BEYOND The current State College system clusters primary and secondary State schools geographically with students attending schools and progressing from the primary to the middle and then to the secondary school within their region.
It is being proposed that while supporting the Colloege System, every secondary school provides learning programmes within the three domains (academic, vocational and applied).
It is suggested that in this evolved context, State secondary schools would best be clustered so Address problems related to skills deficit, unemployment, underemployment and progression after secondary schooftng achievements to the three domains (academ ic, vocationa l and applied), as to ensure that each cluster of schools provides learn ing areas (for example sciences or all specialised learni ng areas (for example Biology, and Electrical Installations and Basic languages) and learning programmes (for example Biology, and Electrical Installations Electronics).
In this case, students will progress and Basic Electronics).
Whilst upholding from the middle to the secondary school the centrality of the individual and the according to their opted specialised learning developmental approach, the three learning areas and learning programmes (for example Biology, and Electrical Installations and Basic Electronics), which may be provided within the domains and learning programmes should address problems related to skills deficit, unemployment, underemployment bot h a same College or in other secondary schools of horizontal and vertical mismatch between the other two Colleges in the cluster.
Successful and well thought-out transitions to the different levels within formal education, namely middle to secondary to post-compulsory schooling, as well as to further and tertiary education and/or to employment, help reduce risks of early school leaving, dropout from education and/or training.

This is also reliant upon an their educational attai nment (includ ing skills, attitudes and values necessary for active cit izenship and lifelong learning) and their progression after secondary schoo ling.
As has been evidenced through local and international practice, it is advisable that every secondary school partners with post-compulsory general academic and vocational institutions and the industry to effective national career service that links the facilitate a seamless lifelong journey and students' disposit ions, attitudes, skills and progression for all their student s. 10 EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL PHASING-IN THROUGH A SYSTEMIC APPROACH In 2014 the Ministry published its framework technocratic models which risk reducing for the education strategy for Malta covering them as mere administrators of heavily the years from that of publication to 2024. loaded syllabi with prescribed knowledge Two years later the evolved State secondary and content, and increasingly become school system is being launched with the empowered facilitators and specialists aim of implementing it in the first year of for learning skills, attitudes and values.
secondary schooling in 2019-2020 with the The proposed evolution in professional first students' cohort reaching the end of their preparation and development, grounded in secondary school cycle scholastic in year existing internationally esteemed professional 2021-2022 in alignment with other national training programmes, supports a shift from initiatives in the field.

The identification of the learning areas of teachers and school leaders as knowledge experts to learning and assessment experts.
specialisation in State secondary schools It also requires learning outcomes, learning should be flexible enough so as to respect programmes and assessment programmes the State College and school's autonomy and for all learning areas and domains, together readiness within the established national with adequate school infrastructure, framework for the education strategy.
The facilities and resources that, according to the introduction of a single comprehensive and clustering model, facilitate the teaching of inclusive secondary school system requires academic, vocational and applied learning.

the provision of teacher training preparation programmes in the teaching of vocational and This intent requires legal redefinition of the applied learning in secondary schools.
functions of the central authorities and the distinction between service provision, A mind shift in teacher preparation, induction regulatory and assessment authorities, and in-service professional development is while re-establishing the development of similarly required to ensure that leadership autonomy, authority and accountability at and teaching respond to the proposed State College, school and teacher levels.
equitable quality secondary school system in This implies due acknowledgement within all three learning domains.
Our commitment is the new Sectoral Agreement between the to facilitate greater autonomy paralleled with Government of Ma lta and the Malta Union of the desired accountability at classroom and Teachers that aims at providing the necessary school levels in decisions related to curriculum working conditions that support, amongst and assessment in order to improve the others, the introduction and implementation students' experience and performance.
of the proposed inclusive and comprehensive Teachers need support to depart from secondary schooling system.

EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL 11 FEATURES OF THE INCLUSIVE AND COMPREHENSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL There are a number of characteristics that distinguish the proposed inclusive and comprehensive secondary schooling from the current general one-size-fits-all secondary schooling system.
The new system builds on the current one but ambitiously moves forward in democratising academic, vocational and applied learning for all students within a framework of parity of esteem.

It retains key competences and sustains traditional academic learning programmes.

Complementarily, vocational subjects and applied learning programmes lead up to MQF Level 3, are also made avai lable to all students and are provided within the school.
The new system builds on the current one but ambitiously moves forward in democratising academic, vocational and applied learning for all students within a framework of parity of esteem All academic, vocational and applied learning programmes lead up to MQF Level 3 12 EQUITABLE QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL CHARACTERISTICS OF CURRENT AND PROPOSED SECONDARY SYSTEMS CURRENT One-Size-Fits-All System Traditional academic education as mainstream education Vocational subjects offered to relatively academically high-achieving students only Only a selection of two or three vocational subjects are made available to selected students Generally alternative and applied learning is rarely ac credited beyond MFQ Levell and thus there is no parity of esteem between academic and vocational education, with low-achieving students being channelled towards the alternative and applied learning programmes PROPOSED Inclusive and comprehensive equitable quality system Traditional academic education, vocational training and applied learning as mainstream education with parity of esteem Vocational subjects offered to all students as part of the options exercise including key competences and behavioural skills All optional areas from the academic, vocational and applied learning programmes are made available to all students including key competences and behavioural skills Applied learning is comparable and equivalent to the academic and vocational education and accredited up to MQF Level3 and is not available only to low-achieving students Teaching prescribed syllabuses for summative testing Teaching towards learning outcomes Teaching prevails learning High-stakes, standardised and summative examinations in general education No progression from the alternative and applied learning to the current mainstream education that could easily lead to dead-ends Secondary schools working in isolation from the community Standardised number of student population in classes The emphasis is on learning and acquiring the right sectoral and behavioural skills Different modes of assessment with a balanced approach towards assessment of, for and as learning.
including in general education A comprehensive system offering a flexible time-table that allows the option for learning programmes from more than one domain, and progression to post-compulsory and/or work is seamless and with no dead-ends All secondary schools to develop partnerships with post-compulsory educational institutions, vocational institutions and industry to provide quality learning in all three-routes- increased possibility for apprenticeships and work-based learning Different student class population to reflect learners' needs and type of programme Initial teacher training, in-service training and continuous professional development related to the areas of academic education Initial teacher training.
in-service training and continuous professional development related to the areas of academic, vocational, and applied learning will be provided Learning outcomes, learning programmes and assessment programmes mainly for subjects in the general education Career guidance inclined to promote the traditional/ academic route and the professions School facilities designed with the teaching of academic subjects in traditional classrooms in mind Learning outcomes for all learning programmes in all three learning domains Career guidance facilitate a seamless progression for the students in furthering their academic, vocational and applied learning or towards the world of work.
Guidance related to current economic sectors and job openings will be available in all schools.
School facilities and resources redesigned to facilitate quality learning in the academic, vocational and applied learning e e e Implementation of My Journey: Achiev1ng through different paths in Year9 First cohort of students completing secondary schooling Review of the Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta 2014-2024 Timeline Plan e e Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta 2014-2024 My Journey: Achieving through different paths .. For further details kindly send an e-mail on myjou rney@gov.mt myjourney.edu.mt November 2016