Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1224129
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 MARCH 2020 NEWS APPLICATION FORM BUSINESS SUPPORT covid19.maltaenterprise.com Applications online by Wednesday 25 th March JAMES DEBONO MAKING SEC exams com- pletely free has resulted in a considerable increase in the total number of 15-year old students sitting for these ex- ams with the difference being most pronounced in the South Harbour region where the numbers have shot up by 9%. A statistical report issued by the MATSEC office describes the removal of exam fees as a measure introduced by the state to encourage students to further their studies. Overall, the measure has re- sulted in an increase of over 300 individuals registering for at least one SEC subject. The increase in registrations led to the highest proportion ever of 16-year-olds sitting for the exam, with over 94% of those born in 2003 registering for at least one exam. This represent- ed a 4-point increase over last year. Moreover, a MaltaToday analysis comparing the num- ber of registrations in each region in 2018, before the full removal of exam fees, with the number of registrations in 2019, shows that while the increase in registrations at A-level was more pronounced in the more affluent north and west of the country, the in- crease in O-level registrations was more pronounced in the south harbour, Gozo and cen- tral regions. In fact, while in the south harbour region the number of those sitting for A-Levels has actually decreased by 4.5% from 2018, despite the remov- al of exam fees, the number of those sitting for O-Levels has gone up by 9%. This could be an indication that students hailing from poorer families are already weeded off from tertiary edu- cation at post-secondary level, when students sit for A-levels. But the situation is differ- ent at secondary level, where removing exam fees has actu- ally encouraged more poorer students to sit for at least one exam. The south harbour dis- trict includes some of Malta's most depressed regions, in- cluding Cottonera. In Xghajra – a small seaside locality – the number of candidates has shot up by 43% from just 21 stu- dents in 2018 to 30 in 2019. The total number of can- didates from the three cities (Bormla, Birgu and Isla) has in- creased by 7%. Sharper increases were regis- tered in more populous urban centres like Tarxien (+19%), Paola (+24%) and Fgura (+14%). Valletta was the only locality to report a decline in the number of candidates, but this could also reflect the capi- tal's city ageing population. Statistics show that all re- gions have seen an increase in the number of students sitting for O-levels, ranging from a 3-point and 4-point increase in the south east and western region to a sharper 9-point in- crease in the south harbour. Although the South Eastern region, which includes Bir- zebbugia and Zurrieq, regis- tered the lowest increase in the number of candidates sitting for their O-Levels, the increase was double that registered in the number of registrations for advanced level exams. In contrast in the more afflu- ent western district which in- cludes Attard, Lija and Balzan as well as a number of rural localities like Siggiewi, the in- crease in MATSEC registra- tions was double that in SEC registrations. A sharp increase was also re- corded in Gozo (+7.5%) and the north harbour district (+8.3). The northern region saw an increase of 5.8% in the number of students sitting for O-Lev- els. This region was the only one to see an equal increase in students sitting in both ad- vanced and ordinary level. In the north harbour region, the increase was more pro- nounced in working class lo- calities like Hamrun (+19%) and Ta' Xbiex (+86%). But an increase which could also re- flect demographic trends, is al- so registered in Swieqi (+17%) and Sliema (+12.5%). Removing A-level fees was no game- changer in the south, but O-level registrations there have increased considerably Percentage increase over 2018 Region O-level A-level North 5.8% +6.3% N Harbour +8.3% 0 Western +4.1% 8.7% S Eastern +3% 1.6% S Harbour +9.2% -4.5% Gozo 7.5% -4.8% Localities registering sharpest increase Region Locality % Increase North Qawra 16.6% N Harbour Ta' Xbiex 85.7% Western Lija 25.9% S Harbour Xghajra 42.9% S Eastern Gudja 25.9% Gozo San Lawrenz 83.3% Removal of O-level exam fees: southern candidates rise 9%