Gozit

Hi all, I was contemplating the idea of a student exchange for my Grade 11 year, but my Mum is rather hesitant about me living in a foreign country with people I don't necessarily know. I definitely understand her concern, and so came the idea of me going on an "exchange" to Gozo for gr. 11 and living with my grandparents there. I would still be getting out of Canada for a year (I'd leave Canada for good right now if I could!) , and i would also be going home to Gozo, which is my favourite place in the world, and my Mum would have the peace of mind that i'd be well taken care of by my Nana and Nanu, so it's a win for everyone. As another plus, i could then learn how to speak Maltese while i'm there, so that I know Maltese for when I move there and need a job!

But what I need to know, is how would I go about this? I will be a Maltese citizen soon, so no need to worry about residence permits and the like, I want to go on exchange to Gozo, but instead of living with a "stranger" host family, I want my Nana and Nanu to be my host family. Does anyone have any experience with this/know how to go about it? A quick google search revealed nothing more than stuff about normal exchange programs, so i'm at a loss here...

Thanks for your help!

not2old

my suggestion is forget the student exchange programme since it involves all kinds of tricky bits from having the Maltese teen come live with your family in Canada & you with their in Malta as well as you'd need medical coverage & unlikely you could live with your nan.

https://www.education.gov.mt/Page.as...id=2&pageid=13


Suggest that you get your Maltese citizenship & if thats the path you want to take do your Gr 11 in Malta (which is about Malta version of high school graduation level). Take your transcripts with you. After that its junior college roughly Gr12 advanced for university level and covers 2 years of additional schooling

In the meantime contact the high school in Malta of your intentions that you'd like to finish your final high school year in Malta

https://www.education.gov.mt/primary-secondary

So this is what you're up against

1. High school grads at age 16 (not 18 like in Canada, so you may be ahead or behind your Maltese peers

2. Final high school is the Matsec exam at the age of sixteen.

https://exams.gov.mt/articles/Boards/MATSEC.aspx

https://www.education.gov.mt/Page.as...id=2&pageid=10

Afterwards, older teens can enroll in vocational degree courses at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology or the Institute of Tourism Studies.

The more academically minded may go for two more years of upper secondary, offered by a handful of state-run schools in Malta.

The so-called “junior college” (Canadian grade 12) makes them fit for higher education, especially at the University of Malta, and it ends with an examination loosely based on the International Baccalaureate, the Matriculation Certificate.

3. Finish high school in Canada or find out if you could enroll in junior college in Malta. Read info in link below & maybe contact the college explain you have Gr 10 Canadian etc. You'll find year 5 is approx grade 10-11 Canada

https://secure.um.edu.mt/jc/prospect...ryrequirements

Gozit

Thanks for the reply not2old, although i must say im a bit confused LOL. I agree with what your saying about the exchange programmes. I investigated those and found exactly what you said, no staying with family/close friends. Some even require you to fundraise for other pupils to go too ! What i dont agree with, is why would i need medical insurance when as a Maltese citizen, immediately upon residence in Malta i am entitled to an identity card, national free health care, and an EHIC? Most exchanges said you are responsible for your own visa and medical insurance... In my case both of those would be negated by my (hopeful) Maltese nationality. But anyway enough about that since i'm doing away with the "exchange programme" thing anyway, my mum didnt even want another person coming on an exchange to live with us LOL!

Wow i didnt know high school was finished at 16, glad my gozitan friend spared me that detail, i'm already jealous of her school being finished in feb. this school year! So the way i understand it [what you wrote] is that if i went to Maltese high school for "Grade 11" in canadian terms, that would be "high school over" in maltese terms, correct? (So basically their high school is finished at the end of 11th grade... Lucky bastards ) And i would be colliding with their "final exams". Then, Canadian "Grade 12" (whether junior college or MCAST) is optional in malta, because its only if you want to further studies in higher education, correct?

But my mum would want me to do grade 11 in malta, come back and do grade 12 in canada, and when im 18 i would move back to malta. (She doesnt like that part but she'll have to suck it up!)

Would i still graduate high school in ontario? Well i guess technically it wouldnt matter in malta as to their standards i've graduated if i do "grade 11" there. I would probably even have a Maltese HS diploma! I know its silly, and if im gonna do gr. 11 i might as well stay for "grade 12" (or another year of partying LOL) but my mum wouldnt sit well with me living away for 2 years straight... I'd love to but Wrestling with her over 1yr away, 1yr back then possibly permanently making a home in gozo is hard enough!

As for nru. 3 you wrote, were you referring to negating going to malta altogether and just finishing HS here, or "skipping ahead" and enrolling in JC instead of maltese gr. 11 upon "exchange" to malta?

What i def wouldnt want to find out is that if i were to get my ON H.S diploma with grade 12/"junior college" completed in canada as gr. 12, move back to malta, apply for uni at UoM, and them telling me i dont have JC.... Please tell me that wouldnt be the case

Thanks again for your help!

Gozit

Ok whoa, upon going through the list of schools, are all the state secondary schools gender-separated? Are private secondary schools like that too or are they mixed? Lol that one was a shocker, then once it sunk in, not a shocker, knowing malta

not2old

lets suppose you plan on going over September 2014

Immediately I would get in contact with the Junior college folks about entering the Matriculation programme. This is roughly the old grade 13 in Ontario & its 2 years. Explain that you have completed 3 years of Canadian high school or whatever it will be & that you'd like to come in as a Maltese citizen student.

Or use the Grade 10 level finished & ask the same question

If tou've completed grade 11 its likely (and you ask this) if you can get credit towards the Matriculation subjects thus maybe only have to do one year.

On the basis you finish the Maltese matriculation there would be no need to finish your grade 12 in Canada but I also know students who have got credit for subjects at this level from overseas schools.

So many options. I think the end result for you is to get to the Malta University?

The other option available in Malta/ Europe is the International Baccalaureate

http://www.ibo.org/country/universit...ent_country=MT

http://www.ibo.org/country/universit..._country=MALTA


available also in Canada. This is a super high quality high school + program recognized world wide.

http://www.peelschools.org/parents/p...s/default.aspx

You have so many options

the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program that gives students first year university credits and is recognized in over 125 countries. The IB Diploma program offers students a rigorous academic program which requires students to study English, a second language, mathematics, science, social science, the arts and theory of knowledge. As well, students enrolled in the program commit to 150 hours of activity divided among volunteer service, sports and the arts.

There are six externally marked exams, 150 hours of extra curricular activities, a university-styled essay, and a philosophy course called Theory of Knowledge. This exciting program gives students a real advantage in applying for post-secondary schools all over the world.

The IB Diploma program, centred on academic excellence and personal achievement in sports and the arts, will prepare students for the challenges of university anywhere in the world.

not2old

page 19, 94 & 95

http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/p...Prospectus.pdf

Gozit

[QUOTE not2old]
Immediately I would get in contact with the Junior college folks about entering the Matriculation programme. This is roughly the old grade 13 in Ontario & its 2 years. Explain that you have completed 3 years of Canadian high school or whatever it will be & that you'd like to come in as a Maltese citizen student.

Or use the Grade 10 level finished & ask the same question

If tou've completed grade 11 its likely (and you ask this) if you can get credit towards the Matriculation subjects thus maybe only have to do one year.

On the basis you finish the Maltese matriculation there would be no need to finish your grade 12 in Canada but I also know students who have got credit for subjects at this level from overseas schools.
[END QUOTE]

OK, so Matriculation in Malta is equal to Gr. 12 completion in Canada, but lasts for 2 years after Grade 11 (Maltese H.S completion) . Correct? So how can I get credit for completing Matriculation if I go over for my Gr. 11 year? Worth it to ask so i'll give it a shot, just wondering... I guess the other option is go over to Malta for Gr. 12 year and complete Matriculation in Malta... But my mum would want me to be back for prom and such in Canada... Not that i care about such nonsense compared to the much more rewarding experience of living abroad, but thats Mums for you...

The end result is for me to go to Malta for a year of my High School education, (preferably Grade 11, as i have no important Ontario exams then, and i'd be back for Gr. 12 Prom and such for Mum), be prepared (ie have the qualifications) to go to the University of Malta if i so choose, and not have to repeat a grade anywhere in between. (not go to school more than i have to!)

Whew, that IB diploma sounds really, really hard, don't think I have the academic or athletic abilities to get to that even if I wanted to. (Im not good at sports or the arts, and i for sure am not doing good enough academically for that) But thanks for the link

The last hurdle I seem to be running into is the fact that i do not understand a word of Maltese, like I can do "Ħelow, Kif Inti?" "Sawwa, u int?" and thats it.... ("Hello, How are you?" , "Alright, and you?")

You see through the exchange programmes I would recieve schoolwork from my teachers here in Canada, in English, so as to complete all my Canadian H.S credits. So therefore negating the need to understand Maltese as well as someone who's lived there for their entire life! (Of course i know i'd still need to understand it somewhat, and i want to understand fully one day, trust me, but part of the purpose of this "exchange" would be to do just that, learn Maltese, as there seems to be no mechanism of learning it here in Canada, i've tried everywhere!)

But if i were to enroll directly in Maltese school (which seems to be the better option IMHO, so i agree with you) it would require me to be able to understand the lessons in Maltese, which obviously presents a problem for me... The only solution I seem to have found is maybe the private schools, if they are in English? And it would have to be on Gozo.

Thanks again for the help!