BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE - B.A. (Hons) ECEC - UNDER THE AUSPICES

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.539

BYE-LAWS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF

ARTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND

CARE - B.A. (Hons) ECEC - UNDER THE AUSPICES

OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

9th May, 2016

LEGAL NOTICE 151 of 2016, as amended by Legal Notices 244 of 2017

106 of 2018, 209 of 2020, 161 of 2021 181 of 2023 and 138 of 2024.

(1) The title of these bye-laws is the Bye-Laws for the

Degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood

Education and Care - B.A. (Hons) ECEC - under the auspices of the

Faculty of Education.

(2)

In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires –

"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Education;

"the Course" means the programme of study leading to the

degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood

Education and Care - B.A. (Hons) ECEC;

"the Degree" means the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in

Early Childhood Education and Care - B.A. (Hons) ECEC;

"the Faculty" means the Faculty of Education;

"the Higher Diploma" means the Higher Diploma in Early

Childhood Education and Care – H.Dip.; and

"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for

University Undergraduate Awards, 2004.

(1) Bye-Laws 3, 6, 8 and 9 shall apply from 22nd February,

2021 onwards.

(2) Bye-Law 4 of these bye-laws shall be applicable for courses

commencing in October 2021 or later.

(3) Bye-Laws 5 and 7 of these bye-laws shall be applicable for

courses commencing in October 2023 or later.

(1) To be registered as regular students in the Course,

applicants shall, apart from satisfying the general requirements for

admission as specified in the Admissions Regulations of the University,

be in possession of a pass at Advanced Matriculation Level at Grade C

or better in any one subject.

(2) Applications shall also be accepted from persons who are

not in possession of the general requirements for admission as

specified in the Admissions Regulations but have obtained the

following

(i)

the Advanced Diploma in Children’s Care, Learning and

Development (MCAST) or any other comparable and

equivalent recognised qualification; and

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

(ii) a pass at Advanced Matriculation Level at grade C or

better in any one of the following subjects

Art, Biology, Chemistry, Computing, English,

French, Geography, German, History, Home

Economics and Human Ecology, Information

Technology, Italian, Maltese, Mathematics

(Applied or Pure), Music, Philosophy, Physics,

Religious Knowledge, Sociology and Spanish;

and

(iii) a pass at Secondary Education Certificate level at Grade 5

or better in English Language, Maltese and Mathematics..

(3) In accordance with the provisions of regulation 15(1) of

the Admissions Regulations, the Admissions Board, acting on the

advice of the Board of Studies, may admit applicants into any year

of the course if in possession of the following

(i)

Higher Diploma in Advanced Studies in Early Years

(MCAST); or any other comparable and equivalent

recognised qualification; and

(ii) passes at SEC level at Grade 5 or better in English

Language, Maltese and Mathematics; and

(iii) passes in proficiency tests in English and Maltese,

approved by the Faculty. Applicants shall be exempted

from sitting for the proficiency tests in English and

Maltese if they are in possession of passes at Intermediate

or Advanced Matriculation Level at Grade C or higher in

each of the two subjects.

(4) Applicants considered in terms of regulation 6(c) of the

Admissions Regulations must be in possession of those

qualifications and/or experience that would satisfy the Faculty

Admissions Committee that they have reached the academic

standard required to follow the Course with profit. The eligibility

of such applicants shall be decided by the University Admissions

Board on the recommendation of the Faculty Admissions

Committee, following an interview conducted by an interviewing

board appointed for the purpose.

(5) All applicants shall submit with their application a Police

Good Conduct Certificate issued by the Commissioner of Police in

terms of the Conduct Certificates Ordinance, and shall not be

included in the Register established under the Protection of Minors

(Registration) Act.

Applicants with other qualifications considered to be

sufficient may be exempted by the University Admissions Board,

on the advice of the Faculty Admissions Committee, from the

whole or part of these special course requirements.

(1)The Board shall recommend to Senate the number of

students that may be allowed to register for the Course, depending

on the availability of human resources and the number of suitable

classes available for the field placement component. The Board

shall announce the number of available places at the time of the call

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

for applications, provided that 10% of such available places shall

be reserved for eligible applicants considered in terms of paragraph

(4) of bye-law 3. If some or all of the reserved places are not filled,

these places shall be made available to applicants who satisfy the

general and special course requirements.

(2) When the number of applicants that may be admitted to the

Course is limited in terms of paragraph (1) of this bye-law, and the

number of eligible applicants exceeds the number of places

available, applicants shall be selected on the basis of their

academic qualifications which shall be weighted in accordance

with selection criteria which will be published at the time of the

call for application, provided that applicants considered in terms of

paragraph (4) of bye-law 3 shall be selected according to the

following criteria

(a) knowledge and experience in early childhood settings;

and

(b) academic qualifications.

(3) If, after the ranking order is established as indicated above,

there is a tie for one or more places, those applicants who ranked in

the same position shall be interviewed.

(4) The interviewing board, appointed by the Board for the

purpose, shall be composed of at least 3 members from the Department

of Early Childhood and Primary Education.

The University Admissions Board, after seeking the advice of

the Faculty Admissions Committee, shall first consider eligible

applicants whose qualifications were obtained in the Matriculation

Certificate Examination or from another examining board, if the Faculty

Admissions Committee is satisfied that the qualifications presented are

comparable in content and equivalent in standard to the Matriculation

Certificate Examination in the same subject/s. For the purpose of

selection, applicants whose qualifications and the special course

requirements as stipulated in bye-law 3, were obtained by 31 August

preceding the commencement of the Course shall be considered first. If

vacant places are still available, applicants who obtain all necessary

qualifications and fulfil all special course requirements as stipulated in

bye-law 3 after the 31 August and before the 30 September shall be

considered to take up the remaining places.

The Course shall extend over a period of three years of full-

time study or the equivalent in part-time study.

(1)The programme of study, which shall comprise study-

units to which 180 ECTS credits are assigned, shall be published

after approval by Senate, normally not less than eight months prior

to the commencement of the Course.

(2) In addition to the programme of study specified in

paragraph (1) of this bye-law, students shall be further required to

(i)

register for the study-units included in the

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

(CASP); and

(ii) sit for a Maltese Aptitude Test - 'Test ta' Ħiliet fil-Malti' -

at the beginning of the Course; provided that applicants in

possession of a pass in Maltese at Intermediate or

Advanced Matriculation Level at Grade C or higher, or

qualifications deemed to be equivalent by the Board, shall

be exempt from this requirement. Students who fail the

Maltese Aptitude Test shall be required to follow and

successfully complete a proficiency course in Maltese.

(1) Students who successfully complete a prescribed set of

study-units totalling 120 ECTS credits, including two field

placements, and do not successfully complete the Course, shall be

entitled to the Higher Diploma.

(2) Students shall be eligible for the award of the Degree if

they successfully complete

(i)

the 180 ECTS credits as outlined in the programme of

study for the Course; and

(ii) the credits assigned to the study-units included in the

Communication and Academic Skills Programme

(CASP); and

(iii) the Maltese Aptitude Test - 'Test ta' Ħiliet fil-Malti' or

the proficiency course in Maltese, if required.

(1)There shall be a field placement, comprising a period of

observation and/or teaching in an early childhood setting, under

supervision, as determined by the Board,provided that for courses

followed on a part-time basis there shall be at least three field

placements.

(2) The Board shall appoint a field placement Board of Examiners

that shall follow the University Assessment Regulations and any other

procedure that the Board may determine for the purpose of the Field

Placement, provided that such procedures are in conformity with the

University Assessment Regulations.

(3) Students shall be required to pass all the field placements. The

number of assessment visits shall be stated in the Faculty guidelines but

examiners may increase assessment visits as they deem fit.

(4) Students shall be required to abide by the Field Placement Code

of Ethics and Code of Conduct published by the Board. Any breach of

these Codes shall be referred to the Board of Examiners of the field

placement and may result in a recommendation to Senate for expulsion

from the Course.

(5)

(a) Students who, for health reasons, fail to attend for up

to three days should present a medical certificate

within 24 hours to the coordinator of the field

placement. The medical certificate, drawn up by a

medical doctor, should clearly state the ailment which

is preventing the student from attending school and

should include the name, the signature and the medical

registration number of the medical doctor.

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION

(b) Where students are away from the early childhood

setting for up to three days for health reasons or for

any other reason which the Board considers valid, as

well as in special circumstances for which prior

approval would have been given by the field

placement Board of Examiners, they shall be requested

to make up for any missed teaching duties in

accordance with instructions issued by the coordinator

of the field placement and the Head of Department of

Early Childhood and Primary Education.

(c) Students who fail to attend four days or more shall

either be required to repeat the whole field placement

or, at the discretion of the Board, may be required to

carry out additional days of supervised practice during

the same academic year as directed by the Board.

(6) Students shall only be declared to have passed the field

placement by the field placement Board of Examiners. The

academic and professional judgement of the field placement Board

of Examiners is not reviewable.

(1)The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the

classification of the Degree followed on full-time basis shall be

based on the results obtained in the three years of the full-time

Course which shall be weighted as follows

First Year Average Mark 20%

Second Year Average Mark 30%

Third Year Average Mark 50%.

(2) The Final Weighted Average Mark for the classification of the

Degree followed on part-time basis shall be based on the results

obtained in the five years of the part-time Course all credits being

weighted equally.

(3) The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the

classification of the Higher Diploma shall be based on the results

obtained in each year of the Course, all credits being weighted equally.

In the case of assigning the classification of First Class

Honours, the Degree Classification Board shall take into

consideration the students’ record of performance during the field

placements.

The classification of the Degree and the Higher Diploma shall

be published according to the provisions of the Principal Regulations.

The provisions of the foregoing bye-laws shall apply mutatis

mutandis to courses followed on a part-time basis, and subject to such

changes as may reasonably be deemed by the Board as necessary due to

the part-time nature of the Course.