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MALTATODAY 30 January 2022

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13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JANUARY 2022 Study suggests 17-student limit for MCAST classes JAMES DEBONO LARGER class sizes are leading to lower end-of-course scores obtained by MCAST students, according to a study published in science journal Xjenza. An empirical study based on a dataset of 874 full-time stu- dents from 2018-2020 who fol- lowed a course within the Insti- tute of Business, Management and Commerce at MCAST, the Maltese post-secondary college, found a "significant negative relationship" between larger class sizes and average end-of- course scores. According to the study this "signals that students perform better when assigned in smaller classes vis-à-vis larger classes". The study's results show that for every additional student in class, the average score of each student decreases by 0.27 marks. This means that having ten more students in each class decreases the class average score by 2.7 marks. In the study, the end-of- course score was obtained by taking the average score of all the units attempted by the stu- dents through the course. The study also considered other variables, including gen- der, nationality and attend- ance. Although on average, female students obtain higher scores than males, the differ- ence is not considered "statis- tically significant". And being a native or foreign student was also found to have no signif- icant impact on the average test score obtained during the course of studies. But a statistically significant positive relationship was found between end-of-course scores and the students' age, level of studies, attendance rate, fami- ly background and the distance from college. The study shows that the greater the distance between the student's locality and the college, the lower the final score. This is potentially due to students "exerting more ef- fort prior to arriving at the col- lege which creates fatigue and stress". The study, authored by MCAST lecturer Ayrton Zarb, includes a number of recom- mendations to address the situation. "Such findings en- courage management teams in schools to design smaller class- es to enhance students' aca- demic wellbeing and advance the economic and social devel- opment of society." Zarb recommends designing lower class sizes, ideally in- cluding less than 17 students as recommended in international literature. It also calls on the Ministry for Education to "re- cruit more teachers" and ex- pand schooling facilities within MCAST so as to accommodate more classrooms. In this way MCAST will con- tribute to higher employment prospects among students while enhancing the reputa- tion of the college in producing better quality students. And by designing smaller classes, MCAST "can contribute to- wards decreasing the percent- age of early school leavers in which Spain and Malta cur- rently top the charts," Zarb said. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt JAMES DEBONO THE Muslim community's quest for a much-needed second mosque faces another obstacle after Transport Malta shot down plans for its development on in- dustrial land in Luqa, 150 metres away from Runway 23. The mosque is being proposed inside the Luqa industrial estate, as it happens, 300m from a Lidl supermarket that was approved in 2006 despite similar air safety objections by the civil aviation authorities. The transport regulator said it had consulted with Malta In- ternational Airport and Malta Air Traffic Services Limited to object to the mosque because its 20m-high minaret would impinge on the runway's ob- stacle-free buffer zone, and be- cause glare from a gold-cladded mosque could disorient pilots. "The proposed gold cladding of the dome has potential for solar glare which could cause optical disturbance to both aircrew and air traffic controller," TM said. TM also said the mosque's minaret "would infringe the obstacle limitation protecting the adja- cent runway 23" and "jeopardise associated instrument approach procedures." TM said it is con- sidering the proposed mosque as an "oper- ational disruption" which will "compromise safety." Transport Malta had not ob- jected to a previous application on the same site for the develop- ment of a cultural hub for a the- atre, external performance space and rehearsal spaces for Maltese bands, approved by the Planning Authority in 2020. Subsequently, the government shelved this project, by incorpo- rating it in a proposed arts and cultural complex in Marsa proposed by Festi- vals Malta. The mosque, and its meeting and administra- tive offices are proposed on a 2,142sq.m plot in Luqa's industrial estate, offered to the Islamic Solidarity Malta organ- isation, instead of their temporary site of worship at L'Ospizio, in Floriana. The public land in the industrial estate was en- trusted by way of a 'com- modatum' (temporary posses- sion) to Islamic Solidarity Malta, to continue exercising faith and socio-cultural activities after they vacate the Knights-era Os- pizio in Haywharf, which has been used for prayers since 2016. Back then the government had reached an agreement with a part of the Muslim community in Malta, granting them an out- doors area within the Ospizio to hold Friday prayers in an open space until a permanent loca- tion is found for a new mosque. The agreement was reached after Muslims started to gath- er in Msida outside the church parvis, after having been evict- ed from several meeting places around the island due to a lack of planning permits. A request to change the use of a large ga- rage in Santa Venera for worship had also been denied. But now it turns out that no- body realised that the Luqa in- dustrial plot was close to a civil aviation runway which makes the building of a mosque prob- lematic. The need for a second mosque has been a pressing one for the past years as the number of Muslims, both foreign and Mal- tese nationals, has grown in the past years. Muslims are expected to pray five times a day and Friday prayers are conducted collec- tively. Muslims who spoke to this newspaper have also pointed out that it is has become impossible to accommodate so many people in one mosque. Transport Malta 'strongly objects' to mosque in Luqa due to impact on runway safety Luqa mosque's gold-cladded dome could disturb airplanes

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