Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1510560
NEWS 16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 OCTOBER 2023 And the magic is on the way! from Monday 30 TH October Big on Quality, Lidl on Price Even though every effort has been made to ensure adequate supplies, these items may sell out quickly. Prices do not include decorative material. Prices are valid save errors or omissions. 1kg = € 15.16 3. 79 250g pack fridge section Deluxe Cheddar Matured for 9 or 12 months frozen Deluxe Salmon in Puff Pastry 1kg = € 14.27 9. 99 700g pack 2. 49 170g pack 1kg = € 14.65 Deluxe Chili Peppers in Extra-virgin Olive oil fridge section 1. 99 200g pack 1kg = € 9.95 Deluxe Crème Brûlée Made with free-range eggs Visit our stores and discover a lot of Deluxe specialties Parents of boy with autism threaten court action over 'ambiguous' assessment criteria MATTHEW AGIUS THE parents of a 15-year-old au- tistic boy have taken the MAT- SEC board to court, claiming that ambiguous assessment cri- teria risk denying their son the possibility of obtaining a Sec- ondary Education Applied Cer- tificate (SEAC) in Agribusiness. This emerges from a judicial pro- test filed earlier this month by the couple, who are not being named to avoid exposing their son to possible secondary victimisation, against the MATSEC board, the University of Malta and the Min- istry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation. The plaintiffs, through their law- yer, Rita Mifsud, are arguing that a clause in the SEAC Vocational Subjects policy document of 2019, issued by the University and the MATSEC examination board, contains ambiguous criteria for the successful completion of a synoptic assessment, by stating only that "students must satisfy the examiner in the theory aspect (Knowledge and Comprehen- sion criteria) and attain at least 50 marks, including marks obtained through the Application criteria carried forward from the Course- work." The vague clause, the parents said, violates a previous clause in the same policy document, which stipulates that "all assessments should be fair, reliable, valid and manageable." The parents argue that their son was left uninformed as to what is expected of him in or- der to pass the assessment. The fact that the son is also au- tistic meant that it was already very difficult for him to follow an educational programme, the plaintiffs said, adding that were he to fail his assessment on the basis of ambiguous criteria, he would suffer irremediable prejudice and be deprived of a "great opportuni- ty, if not also a unique one in his circumstances, to successfully fol- low his chosen vocational career." The judicial protest calls upon the respondents to ensure that the criteria used in the synoptic assessment which their son would be appraised by, be the subject of "clear and transparent criteria which leave no room for any sub- jectivity and ambiguity," warning that in the absence of this, further court action could follow.