State school boys find English easier than Maltese

The Maltese ‘O’level exam remains a harder nut to crack than English for students in all types of schools, but is particularly harder for male students hailing from State schools.

Amongst this segment, the pass rate in English is substantially higher than that in both Maths and Maltese – the three compulsory subjects for students who want to continue their studies at university.

A pass in Maltese must be grade 5 or higher for entry to post-secondary education, while lower marks 6 and 7 give students access to vocational post-secondary institutions like MCAST.

And while 70% of girls attending State schools obtain a pass grade between 1 to 5 in Maltese, only 44% of State school boys do likewise – indeed, they are more likely to get a 1-5 grade in English (63%).

Significantly, this cohort is more likely to sit for the English exam (731) than for Maltese (678), which is even lower than the number sitting for mathematics (698).

Students in private independent schools (99 girls, 165 boys) are also more likely not to sit for their Maltese ‘O’ level. More students sat for English (134 girls, 211 boys).

The statistics released by the Matsec office do not account for students who do not even sit for ‘O’ level exams, a percentage which is higher among boys attending State schools.

Girls attending church schools then tend to perform better in Maltese than girls and boys from all other schools: 86% of church school girls obtain a 1-5 grade in Maltese, with the percentage falling to 74% for church school boys. Boys in independent schools obtain a similar pass rate as State school girls sitting for Maltese (70%).

But when it comes to English, girls in independent schools outperform everyone else: 93% obtain a 1-5 grade in English, with boys trailing behind at 89%, at par with church school girls. State school girls then perform considerably better (72%) in English than boys in the same sector (63%).

Maths is the more difficult hurdle for State school boys (44% get a 1-5 mark) and girls (52%).

In a clear sign that Maltese remains the most difficult subject, 68% of State school boys obtain a 1-7 pass in Maths compared to 56% in Maltese.

And while girls outperform boys in Maths inside State schools, it is the boys in Church and independent schools who outperform girls in Maths, while girls outperform male peers in languages.

Girls are better

The PISA report of 2009 links boys’ lower performance, particularly those from lower social and economic backgrounds, to a lack of interest in reading – generally they tend to be an average year of schooling behind girls on reading, with the latter being more likely lovers of fiction.

The report suggests it is the difference between boys’ and girls’ approach to learning that matters, with girls tending to be more positive about education in general. But apart from gender differences, there are also differences in social class, where lower reading aptitude is found in disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Without the ability to read well enough to participate fully in society, these students and their future families will have fewer opportunities to escape poverty and deprivation,” the PISA report warns.