Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/624751
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 10 JANUARY 2016 News 7 to the notion that with the full introduction of the college system in state schools not enough attention has been given to preserv- ing the mathematical learning of the so-called "better students". This could be leading to a perception of lowering of standards. But Buhagiar doubts that this is the case because in mathematics "more local students are reaching higher levels of mathematics, even if possi- bly at a later stage in their lives". Buhagiar suggests that the statistics could also reflect a pragmatic choice by students. "Students may be get- ting wiser and refuse to 'play a game' in which the odds are completely against them." He refers to MAT- SEC statistics which show that slightly over half of the students who register to sit for the exam manage to get a grade 5 or better in SEC mathematics. Overall, however, fewer than 50% of the Form 5 student population get this qualification, as there are hundreds of students who do not even bother to reg- ister. "The so-called 'weaker stu- dents' may be realising more than ever before that they have no chance of getting grade 5 or better in the present set-up. This has also to be seen within a national context in which grades 6 and 7 are still seen as 'fails' and carry little or no currency. All this leads Buhagiar to ask an important question: "Are SEC examinations, mathemat- ics included, reaching the ambitious targets for which they were launched in the 1990s?" The decline could impact on the life prospects of stu- dents, according to Dr Leonard Bezzina, who lectures prospec- tive maths teachers in the Faculty of Educa- tion. According to Bezzina the Mathematics 'O' level is a "critical filter" and students who do not pass the exam would suffer from lim- ited employment opportunities because they would be unable to proceed to university and junior college. "Apart from being an entry requirement, a good knowledge of mathematics is useful in an increasing number of courses that are not traditionally associated with mathematics, such as those in the social sciences that in- clude components of quantitative research." A qualification in SEC Mathematics should not be simply seen as "an entry requirement but something which gives you knowledge that will be useful in further study," Bezzina told MaltaToday when contacted. Decline in other subjects Mathematics was not the sole victim of the sharp decline in the number of students. The number of candidates sitting for physics has gone down by 8% from 3,748 to 3,455. Other science subjects like biology and chemistry have seen a similar 8% drop, which partly re- flect demographic changes. The number of candidates sitting for the English exam has also declined from 5,146 in 2014 to 4,733 now while the number of can- didates sitting for the Maltese exam dropped from 4,502 in 2014 to 4,151 now. But in both cases the drop in candidates has not been re- flected in a decrease in failure. In English the failure rate remained the same, 17%, it was 20% in Maltese. It is not only the traditional subjects which have seen a sharp drop in the number stu- dents taking the exams. Even computing has seen a very sharp drop in candidates, from 1,013 in 2014 to just 842 in 2015. This repre- sents a drop of 17%. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt has been approved. An application to construct a pool in the same area was twice rejected in 2005 and 2006. The Appeals Board confirmed the decision in 2007. The reason always given for refus- ing the development was the archae- ological importance of the site. In 2011 MEPA had refused a per- mit for an extension of the same building and the erection of a wall to define the property. In 2014 the government had to expropriate land and issue an emer- gency conservation order to stop de- velopment on land in the vicinity of the nearby Ta' Hagrat temples, fol- lowing another controversial MEPA permit. In 2014, a development threat- ened the unique UNESCO World Heritage status of the Ta' Hagrat Neolithic temple in Mgarr. MEPA approved the 15-apart- ment block on Triq San Pietru, Mgarr but residents objected to the two-storey residence. The controversial dwelling was 10 metres away from the Ta' Hagrat temples, and had the blessing of the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage. But the same body had initially objected to the development in March 2013. After a meeting with Heritage Malta and MEPA in May 2013, the Superintendence green-lit the permit when plans were changed to address some of its concerns The PN demanded that the government expropriate the land on which the apartments are being built, on the grounds that there is a public purpose to safeguard national heritage, against appropriate compensa- tion. Labour blamed the PN, saying that the area in question was not spared from the 2006 extension of building zones. Under the UNESCO Convention of World Heritage in 1972, the government can expropriate the land in question against com- pensation to its owners. Dr Michael Buhagiar