Malta registered the largest decrease in its rate of early school leavers, although it ranks highest in the EU with the largest proportion of students who don't go on to study at university or other tertiary education institutes.
The rate stood at 54.2% in 2000, decreasing to 36.9% in 2010, which means a decrease of 17.3 percentage points over 11 years.
Malta's early school leavers' rate for 2010 is reported in the joint report by the European Council and Commissioner on the EU's strategy framework for cooperation in education and training.
Addressing the Council in Brussels today, justice and family minister Chris Said said that although youth unemployment in Malta, at 12.3%, is one of the lowest among EU member states, Malta still considered work in this area as one of utmost priority.
"The main policy initiative to be taken in the immediate future, which will tackle youth unemployment and will minimise the social consequences of the crisis for young people, is the validation of informal and non-formal learning. Malta is in the process of introducing legislation in this regard which shall centre around the setting up of sector skills units led by employers and other social partners."
Said said the Maltese government was doing its utmost to transform the challenges ahead into opportunities for the present generation thereby ensuring a better future for all.
The ET2020 report indicates that while other member states have experienced budget cuts in education, Malta has consistently increased its education budget, even in the throes of the global economic crises.
The ET2020 report states that Malta has addressed early school leavers through a host of policy measures in the three areas of prevention, intervention and compensation in the National Reform Programme and the national ET 2020 report of 2011.
Malta has also seen strong growth in the number of Maths, Science and Technology graduates (70% over eight years), compared to the EU average (33% over the same period) with a slight improvement of the gender balance. The percentage of tertiary education attainment is of 21.5% for the year 2010, an increase from 7.2% in the year 2000.
The European Commission also states that specific short-and medium-term measures include guidance and dropout prevention for high school students and their families; creation of transition paths between compulsory and vocational education and training (VET); inclusion of VET and science subjects in the secondary school curricula; increased learning opportunities through new educational providers and programme accreditation in the area of further and higher education; investment in learning infrastructure; review of curricula; and more lifelong learning and adult education opportunities. It should be noted in this context that Malta performs above the EU average on participation in early childhood education.