The introduction of new applied and vocational subjects

I refer to the article ‘Teachers, union voice concerns over plans for new ‘applied’ subjects’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, March, 10).

The article gives the impression that the changes being implemented are being introduced overnight with no planning whatsoever. This is far from being the case.

In fact, these changes are aimed at something over which there is unanimous consensus and which has been a long time coming: to increase the number of students who successfully achieve their educational pathway while in compulsory education.

To achieve this aim, secondary schools will be providing students with a wider range of such educational pathways through the introduction of new applied and vocational subjects.  

The introduction of these subjects builds on the work done through the development of the National Curriculum Framework in 2012 and the subsequent Learning Outcomes Framework as well as the development of the Framework for the Education Strategy for Malta in 2014 leading to the My Journey reform of 2016. 

My Journey will continue to build on a reform which has already been in place for several years. In fact, the introduction of vocational subjects back in 2012 has already...