National reform programme 2008-2010 Malta - European Commission

The number of students outlined in the diagram above for 2004-2007 are further broken down
by institution in Table 3 below, to demonstrate that all further and higher education institutions
with the exception of private sixth forms have increased their total number of students every
year.
Table 3 - Total Day and Evening Student Population in Further and Higher Education
Institutions in Malta (2004-2007)
Institution 2004 2005 2006 2007
Institute for Tourism Studies ( ITS) 710 771 598 615
Junior College 2958 3057 3225 3269
MCAST 3766 6193 6132 6159
Post Secondary (Government) - G. Curmi and M. Refalo
School
1646 1908 2140 2156
Post Secondary (Private) 790 767 752 694
University of Malta 9245 9530 9450 9500
Grand Total 19115 22226 22297 22393
Source:
NSO Education Statistics (2004 – 2005)
Provisional Institutional Data compiled by NCHE (2006 – 2007)
ITS Data excludes evening part-time students (159 in 2007, 145 in 2008)
Structural indicators show that in 2006 the educational attainment level in Malta was 50.8%
for the 20-24 age bracket. In 2007 42 the same indicators show that Malta has now increased
its educational attainment rate to 54.7%. This also implies a corresponding drop in early
school leavers from 41.7% in 2006 to 37.6% in 2007.
Government’s policy is to undertake the necessary educational reforms with a view to retain
85% of school leavers aged 16-18 in post-secondary level education by 2015. Measures to
increase attainment rates and reduce early school leavers are being undertaken in various
sectors and across different levels of the education system simultaneously. Measures related
to post-secondary and tertiary level student participation rates include:
• the continuation of student support schemes such as the Student Maintenance Grants
and the Malta Government Scholarships Schemes (MGSS) for the undergraduates and
postgraduates following programmes in private/non-state institutions, both in Malta or
abroad, EU programmes to promote mobility, and financial support to parents of
children attending private schools; and
• further investment in the capacity of post-secondary vocational institutions such as
MCAST and ITS which shall witness the largest share of marginal growth in school
leavers who opt to continue their studies beyond compulsory levels of education. The
target of reducing early school leavers from 30% in 2007 to 34% by 2010 holds.
The Maltese Government aims to continue making longer-term restructuring to achieve its
85% participation rate targets by 2015. In achieving this target Malta will also make use of
Structural Funds with a view to reduce the rate of early school leavers and hence raise
educational attainment levels. Actions undertaken include a new MCAST campus,
investment in human capital including scholarships and targeted programmes, guidance
services, internal and external quality assurance expertise, administration and governance,
and subject related education and professional development including ICT, entrepreneurship,
science and technology amongst others
Other complimentary long-term measures related to primary and secondary education which
have a strong influence on long-term student school leaving choices are also being
undertaken. The strategy for compulsory education includes a number of measures which on
the one hand assess and improve the quality of education services by revising existing
policies and practices and introducing new concepts and frameworks. The strategic thrust in
schools shall consist of a portfolio of measures including:
42 “Progress towards the Lisbon Objectives in Education and Training - Indicators and Benchmarks 2008”,
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT, EU Commission, 2008.
Malta National Reform Programme 2008-2010 - 45 -