Why not ditch the SEC exams?

In a country where some believe that the Arc de Triomphe stands tall in Floriana, Stonehenge is mysteriously located in Mqabba and the atomic bomb detonated in Vittoriosa, one can’t help but raise both eyebrows. No, the problem I see isn’t that they didn’t know these facts. After all, in today’s digital age, the need to memorise information is decreasing and facts are just a click away. The real concern is the lack of common sense.

However, this isn’t just about geographical blunders or historical mix-ups. It’s a reflection of a deeper issue. Many Maltese seem trapped under this metaphorical pebble we call home, rarely venturing their thinking beyond our shores. It’s high time we train our brain cells to step out, look around and realise that a vast world of knowledge is waiting to be explored and understood. But this will never happen if we don’t plant the seed of curiosity in our kids, which leads to an unquenched thirst for knowledge.

Now, let’s address the elephant in the room. Every year around this time, we get a national debate about the Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examination results. But this is not something that started this year; the problems can be traced back for decades. We must be honest and admit that the results indicate that our educational system, a relic from our colonial past, is failing us. Everybody knows about it and it’s probably…