Maltese students improve rank in maths, reading and science

Malta has obtained improved results across the areas of reading, mathematics and science, according to a report on Malta’s participation in the PISA 2015.

The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is an international survey offered by the Oranisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which evaluates education systems worldwide by testing 15-year olds’ skills and knowledge.

According to the report, Malta was one of the few countries that increased the share of top-performing students in reading since PISA 2009, the last survey Malta participated in.

Moreover, Malta saw a decrease in low achieving students and significantly increased its number of high performers.

The report also highlights the fact that Malta saw a reduction in its gender gap especially for reading, where Malta achieved the highest reduction in gender score difference.

In his foreward to the report, Professor Charles L Mifsud, a member of the PISA Governing Board for Malta, said that despite the positive results, differences in results among the schooling sectors have persisted. He notes that the results however, are to be interpreted in light of differences in socioeconomic and cultural conditions, which are known to determine achievement.

The report also notes that immigrant children in Maltese schools have achieved more than highly, a finding that is contrary to prevailing international trends.

The survey comprised a total sample of 535,791 students from seventy-two countries and economies, including all EU countries. The Maltese group participating in the study totalled 3,677 students selected randomly from 61 schools.