Maths sucks! 649 fewer sit for ‘O’ level

Fewer students are sitting for their ‘O’ level exams in Maths, English and Maltese, which are compulsory for entry to the Junior College and University of Malta.

But the drop is sharpest in Mathematics, where the number of candidates decreased from 5,049 in 2014, to 4,375 in 2015.

The number of Maths candidates sitting for their SEC (Secondary Education Certificate) in 2013 stood at 5,038.

Experts who spoke to MaltaToday attributed the drop to an increase in educational opportunities for 16-year-olds who do not require a pass in these exams.

This large drop in registration for the Mathematics SEC exam does not appear to be explained by the demographic statistics for births in the years 1998-1999, when the majority of candidates sitting for this examination would have been born, an examination report by MATSEC states.

In an indication that it is low achievers who are mostly opting out of the SEC examination system, the sharpest decline was seen in the number of candidates sitting for Paper B, an easier option chosen by the majority of candidates. 

While Paper A grades candidates from 1 to 5 (1 being highest), Paper B grades from 4 to 7. In fact while students sitting for Paper A declined by 8%, students sitting for paper B declined by 17%.

Overall, 2015 has seen a massive drop of 13% over last year’s figures in the number of Maths candidates. But despite the drop in the number of candidates sitting for the Maths exam the failure rate still increased from 18% to 20% while the number of absentees decreased slightly from 6% to 5%. The number of candidates who got a 6 or 7 mark, which is not considered adequate for entry to a Sixth Form college, remained the same as last year.

A spokesperson for the Ministry for Education confirmed that these figures were being analysed but that the ministry will only comment when this exercise is finalised.

Drop could reflect more choice in education

Experts contacted by the newspaper were cautious in interpreting the statistical drop in Maths exam candidates but hinted that this could reflect the greater opportunities for students to follow alternative educational routes instead of university.

Such avenues that do not require an SEC qualification in mathematics, include the Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary school in Naxxar, the Malta College for Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST), the Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS) and now the new school in Gzira which caters exclusively for students without SEC qualifications.

“This non-academic post-16 branch is expanding and gaining prestige and credibility by the day. I see the expansion of this sector as one of the more important developments in local education,” Dr Michael Buhagiar, who lectures prospective Maths teachers in the Faculty of Education, told MaltaToday.

Another reason which according to Buhagiar is voiced by many teachers in state schools, is related to the notion that with the full introduction of the college system in state schools not enough attention has been given to preserving the mathematical learning of the so-called “better students”. This could be leading to a perception of lowering of standards.

Dr Michael Buhagiar

But Buhagiar doubts that this is the case because in mathematics “more local students are reaching higher levels of mathematics, even if possibly at a later stage in their lives”.  

Buhagiar suggests that the statistics could also reflect a pragmatic choice by students. “Students may be getting wiser and refuse to ‘play a game’ in which the odds are completely against them.”

He refers to MATSEC 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 register. 

“The so-called ‘weaker students’ 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, mathematics included, reaching the ambitious targets for which they were launched in the 1990s?”

The decline could impact on the life prospects of students, according to Dr Leonard Bezzina, who lectures prospective maths teachers in the Faculty of Education.

According to Bezzina the Mathematics ‘O’ level is a “critical filter” and students who do not pass the exam would suffer from limited 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 include 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 reflect 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 candidates 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 reflected 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 students taking the exams. Even computing has seen a very sharp drop in candidates, from 1,013 in 2014 to just 842 in 2015. This represents a drop of 17%.