Students to strike over twice-yearly exams

Secondary school students will stage a two-hour boycott of classes on Friday morning on the instructions of the so-called secretariat of their self-styled union Psem.

The boycott of the third and fourth periods at all secondary public schools was a warning strike to push the demands of Psem on twice-yearly exams, which were introduced by the education ministry a couple of years ago.

The teenage unionists had opposed sitting exams twice a year, instead of once at the end of the school year as had been the practice, and have fought the new regime that was approved by the legislature and enshrined in law.

Teaching unions are also opposed to the twice-yearly exams and have repeatedly called for the abolition of the January exams. Abolition calls intensified during the pandemic, with unions claiming there had been too much disruption in the children’s education.

In announcement about its strike action, Psem said it “could not tolerate the victimisation of the students” adding that Friday’s action “constituted the first reaction”.

“In the coming days we will intensify the hard struggle we are staging and will not stop until the twice-yearly exams are completely scrapped.”

The education ministry has refused to entertain the idea of scrapping the new regime and reverting to once-a-year exams.