education
Page 2
Local News
http://www.independent.com.mt/daily/newsview.asp?id=9535
Exam blunder leaves Matsec board blushing
But yesterday the French
paper too contained a mistake, which was picked up in time. There had also
been a mistake in the Accounts paper.
The errors, which left the Matsec board blushing, included words that were
omitted from the comprehension and incorrect instructions for the timings and
questions that had to be answered. More than 300 students sat for the exam.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Matsec board said no student will be put
at a disadvantage because of the errors in the paper: "The Matsec board
regrets the ambiguity in the paper and assures the public that no candidate
will be put at a disadvantage.
"The markers panel will implement equitable criteria and marking schemes to
cover all answers given by the candidates. Potential stress will also be taken
into consideration."
The board said a letter was being sent to all the students who sat for the
exam explaining the situation.
Meanwhile, a number of student bodies have expressed anger at the manner in
which the exam papers were issued.
A spokesman for the Labour Youth Council said: "We have received numerous
complaints about the mistakes. The Education Ministry should be ashamed for
allowing such errors to take place, especially as the exam fees rose
considerably this year."
Socio-democratic student organisation Pulse also had harsh words for the
government. "Information was omitted to the derision of the students sitting
for the exam. It is an injustice. The students put so much hard work into
preparing for the SEC exams and inaccuracies in the papers only adds to the
pressure that they feel."
And Education Minister Louis Galea told parliament that the mistakes in the
paper were unacceptable.
