One in three Maltese youths underachieve in maths, science and reading

Around a third of all 15-year-olds in Malta are underachieving in maths, science and reading with no or little improvement over the past decade. 

The recently launched National Strategic Action Plan for Further and Higher Education 2022-2030 shows that between 2009 and 2019 the share of low achieving 15-year-olds has increased from 32.5% to 33.5% in science and decreased from 33.7% to 30.2% in maths. 

In reading, the percentage of low achievers practically remained the same at 36%. 

In the European Union, only slightly more than a fifth of 15-year-olds underachieve in these three basic skills. 

According to the action plan Malta needs to invest more to achieve the EU target of reducing the share of low-achieving 15-year-olds in reading, mathematics and science to less than 15%, by 2030. 

While efforts are being made to make the system more inclusive, the action plan warns that the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate educational inequalities and low levels of basic skills if its impact is not fully assessed.  

The plan recommends better support for students’ learning needs which is considered to be the key to achieve higher quality.  

Foreigners more likely to have a tertiary education 

The percentage of 25 to 34-year-olds who have completed tertiary education increased from just 22% in 2009 to 40% between 2013 and 2020. But this increase was mainly the result of an influx of university-educated foreigners from the EU. 

In fact, while half of Malta’s foreign-born individuals aged between 25 and 34 have completed a tertiary education only one in three Maltese nationals in the same age bracket have done so.  

The statistics also cast a light on the geographical division of labour, with young EU nationals being much more likely to be university educated than non-EU nationals. 

Official statistics cited in the Action Plan show that while 64% of young EU nationals went to university only 46% of third-country nationals between 25 and 34 years of age have done likewise. 

But Maltese born nationals trail behind both EU and third country foreign nationals with only 33% of Maltese youth completing a tertiary level course.  

The action plan specifically refers to Malta’s high reliance on foreigners to meet skills shortages and sustain economic growth. 

Malta’s educational attainment figures are still significantly lower than the average in the EU, where 41% of citizens living in their own country have completed a tertiary-level course of study. 

But immigrants in Malta are better skilled than those in other EU countries.  In the EU as a whole only 35% of immigrants have completed tertiary education compared to 50% in Malta. 

The report shows that the number of those leaving education after secondary school have dropped from 33% in 2005 to 17% in 2020.  But the rate of students leaving school after secondary is higher than the EU target of 10%. 

According to the report participation in adult learning among the low-qualified remains low and a strong drive is required to meet the European target of at least 60% of adults participating in learning by 2030. 

The action plan which has been issued for public consultation aims at setting a strategic direction for Malta ’s educational policy. 

One of the proposals being made to improve higher education attainment is a pilot programme of subsidised bank loans to vulnerable students in a bid to reduce the number of students dropping out because of financial reasons.