The Blind Watchmaker behind the Maltese School Curricula

Religious teaching of the Roman Catholic Apostolic Faith shall be provided in all State schools as part of compulsory education.

Constitution of Malta, Chapter 1, 2.(3)

Beyond that title, I would not read this article myself. I usually avoid reading articles about the efforts of creationists to introduce the biblical account of the creation myth alongside evolution in the US school curricula. It induces a cocktail mood of sadness and anger which I would much rather do without. Last week I succumbed to the temptation of reading an article about the creationists which made me wonder. How come no holier-than-the-Pope self-appointed defender-of-the-truth has bothered starting a crusade to introduce creationism in the local curriculum? After all, we had letters in the local papers requesting the removal of Harry Potter books from school libraries.

Then it suddenly struck me.

Our primary school children are taught the Catholic creation myth from the age of five in public, private and church schools alike. It is an examined subject, and unless the child’s parents dare ostracize the child from his or her classmates by declaring themselves unbelievers in the one-and-only-true-faith, they have to sit for and pass the Religion (sic) exam to be able to go proceed with their studies in a Junior Lyceum. Getting straight As in English, Maltese, mathematics and social studies, but a D in religion will condemn you to the lower-grade state schools.

Then it suddenly struck me again.

Children are not being taught creationism alongside evolutionary theory in our schools. They are being taught creationism. They are not being taught the theory of evolution. They are not being taught science, except for possibly, a couple of times a year when a parapathetic science teacher visits the class to give them 45 minutes of science which goes unexamined, hence quickly forgotten.

Maybe, now that divorce is on the discussion table, someone might also have the balls to suggest that the curriculum should be revised to ensure that primary school children are exposed to views incompatible to the Catholic God having created the universe in seven days.

Xi dwejjaq! Għada skola!

Hemm xi tfal li fis-sekondarji qegħdin jirrifjutaw imorru l-iskola - wħud minnhom, b'rieda soda, jirnexxielhom. Oħrajn jmorru l-iskola kontra qalbhom, għax bilfors, biex ma jirċevux iċ-ċitazzjoni. B'ton imdejjaq, jgħidulek "iġri tasal l-aħħar lezzjoni" jew "iġri jasal tmiem -il ġimgħa". Din hija qagħda li tinkwetani ħafna speċjalment meta tara li dan ma jkunx xi każ kultant imma li din hija xi ħaġa komuni. Nemmen li dawn it-tfal mhux dejjem jagħmluha b'kapriċċ din il-ħaġa - jkollhom ir-raġunijiet tagħhom. Ma nafx x'inhuma imma għandi xi suspetti:

• Il-qagħda familjari:
  
• M'għandi l-ebda dubju li qagħda familjari mwiergħa tħalli l-effett tagħha fuq il-ħajja edukattiva tat-tfal. L-instabbiltá tiġi riflessa żgur.
• L-istimulazzjoni fit-tagħlim:
  
• Nistaqsi jekk il-metodi tat-tagħlim humiex qegħdin jilħqu l-aspettattivi ta' l-istudenti - forsi qed nippretendu li l-metodoloġiji li tgħallimna aħna bihom se jibqgħu validi għall-dejjem?
• Burnout
  
• Il-firxa wiesa' ta' suġġetti li jitgħallmu t-tfal sa mill-primarja u l-fatt li ħafna drabi naqgħu għat-tagħlim bl-amment ma jistax ikun sostnut għal tul ta' żmien u ħafna tfal jaqgħu mal-ġenb u ma jinġabrux.
• Il-qasma bl-eżamijiet
  
• Id-daqqa kbira li jaqilgħu t-tfal li ma jgħaddux mill-eżami tal-Junior Lyceum ma naħsibx li qed nifmuha sew. Ma' dawn, u forsi agħar minn hekk, hemm ukoll dawk li lanqas biss jersqu għalih. Nemmen li s-sistema tal-kulleġġi għandha l-potenzjal li tibda tindirizza din il-problema.
• Nuqqas ta' suġġetti prattiċi
  
• Xi kultant, l-uniċi suġġetti li jħobbu dawn it-tfal li jmorru l-iskola bilfors huma dawk prattiċi (Disinn u Teknoloġija, Teknoloġija ta' l-Informazzjoni u l-Kommunikazzjoni, Home Economics, eċċ) naħseb li tajjeb li noffru aktar minnhom - huma s-suġġetti li jagħtu lill-istudenti x'jifhmu li huma tajbin għal xi ħaġa.
• Nuqqas ta' rispett lejn l-awtoritajiet
• Il-mod kif ċertu studenti jġubu rwieħhom fl-iskola lanqas kont noħolmu meta kont l-iskola jien! Ħafna jaqblu li fil-passat kien hawn ferm aktar rispett lejn l-għalliema - x'qed jiġri allura?
  
• Għalliema mhux motivati
• Din ir-raġuni irridu niddiskutuha aktar fid-dettall għax hemm ħafna x'wieħed jgħid dwarha - il-ġrajjiet tal-ġimgħa li għaddiet meta għalliem safa attakkat fl-iskola u oħrajn bħalhom żgur li ma jżidux l-entużjażmu ta' l-għalliema - imma dan jista' jkun ċirku vizzjuż.
  

Żgur li hemm ħafna aktar raġunijiet - hemm dokument inseressanti li jistudja l-fenomenu ta' l-assentejiżmu - tajjeb li ntuħ daqqa t'għajn - dan jinsab fuq is-sit tal-Ministeru ta' l-Edukazzjoni u l-Kultura.

Kif rajtu jista' jkun li għandi ferm aktar mistoqsijiet milli tweġibiet. Li hu żgur li jekk ma nistaqsux, it-tweġibiet żgur ma jaslux.