Education in Malta is compulsory for all children and youths aged from five to sixteen years. This is defined in Chapter 327 of the Laws of Malta - The Education Act - and subsequent amendments. Compulsory education covers six years of primary education followed by five years of secondary education. It is offered full-time and free in all state schools, but parents can opt to educate their children in Church or Independent schools. Education in Church schools is also free while parents of children attending schools in the Independent sector enjoy a number of tax-relief measures.

All schools are obliged by law to follow the tenets of the National Curriculum Framework and to abide by all the regulations as listed in the Education Act. At the end of compulsory education students can further their education and training in higher and post-secondary and tertiary educational institutions.

Successive administrations have promoted early childhood care for children from birth to 3 years of age. Following early childcare, children move into kindergarten which is provided for children aged two years nine months to five years. Although it is not mandatory, parents are encouraged to send their children to such centres.

To this effect, a national policy entitled Early Childhood Education and Care was published in 2006 and provides guidelines on the financing, participation, access, transition, staff qualifications, learning programmes, monitoring, evaluation as well as research on early childhood education and care. In 2013, government announced the introduction of free childcare to parents who are both in employment or in education. Furthermore, a measure introduced in 2014 made it possible for parents whose children attend privately-run childcare centres to be granted yearly tax deductions of up to EUR 2000.

Pre-primary education (ISCED 0)

Pre-primary education in Malta is co-educational and is divided in two stages: early childcare education which caters for children from birth to 2 years and 9 months, and kindergarten education which caters for children aged 2 years 9 months up to five years.

As at November 2019, a total of 143 childcare centres were registered. All of the childcare centres adopt the National Standards for Child Day Care Facilities (2006) and the Occupational Standards for Personnel working within Child Day Care Facilities in Malta  (2012).

Kindergarten education is available in both the state and the non-state (Church and Independent) sectors. In state schools, kindergarten centres form part of primary schools and fall under the responsibility of the Head of the Primary School. Kindergarten classes typically follow the same school calendar as primary schools and run Mondays to Fridays from 08.30hrs till 14.30hrs. Three-year-olds are grouped as kindergarten 1 while four-year-olds are grouped as kindergarten 2. Non-state kindergartens follow a similar schedule and grouping arrangements as state ones.

The National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2012 outlines the Early Years Cycle and emphasises the development of general competences developed through cross-curricular themes that contribute to the establishment of the foundations of lifelong learning.

The national policy on inclusive education emphasises the importance of inclusion even at this young age. Children with special educational needs are usually admitted in mainstream kindergarten centres but it is also the duty of the kindergarten educators to refer to relevant professionals any child who they consider as requiring extra support. Such referrals are then processed by the Statementing Moderating Panel and action taken accordingly.

Furthermore, the Child Development Assessment Unit (CDAU) works in close collaboration with the Inclusive Education Network to provide early intervention for children born with a disability or one that was detected in the early months.

Primary education (ISCED Level 1)

Children begin compulsory school in the last week of September in the calendar year when they are five years of age. Primary education is co-educational in all state and most independent schools while Church primary schools are mostly single-sex. In state schools, primary education is free of charge and includes also the provision of free textbooks and school transport. As from September 2018, the provision of free school transport has been extended to all students attending church and independent schools. Parents sending their children to Church Schools do not pay tuition fees, but a voluntary donation is often requested.

State primary schools are found in all towns and villages and sometimes close to the secondary schools to which the pupils will progress after ending primary education. Since the set-up of State College Networks in 2009, primary and secondary schools form part of a College Network based on geographic proximity. Students from the primary schools within a College Network proceed to secondary schools within the College. As part of the reform initiated in 2009, classes in the primary years are no longer streamed by academic ability thus ensuring that children stay in mixed-ability classes throughout the primary years.

The National Curriculum Framework (2012) lists specific Learning Areas for the Primary Years that facilitate the holistic development of each child. These Learning Areas include Languages, Mathematics, Science, Technology Education, Health Education, Physical Education and Sports, Personal, Social and Health Education, Religious Education/Ethics, Citizenship and Arts Education.

Furthermore, five cross-curricular themes namely eLearning, Education for Sustainable Development; Intercultural Education; Education for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation ensure a move away from an exclusively subject-based approach that favours fragmentation and compartmentalisation of knowledge to a more cross-curricular, thematic, interdisciplinary and collaborative approach that reflects real life situations and encourages transfer of skills from one learning area to another. 

As per the National Policy and Strategy for the Attainment of Core Competencies in Primary Education, early screening ensures that pupils requiring additional support in literacy and numeracy skills get this support as early as possible to improve their learning outcomes later on. To this effect, a checklist was drawn up to record competences in grades 1 to 3 in literacy, numeracy and e-literacy.

Formative continuous assessment is the main form of assessment during the primary years. While there is no formal assessment of students in their first three years of primary education, a system of continuous assessment was introduced in school year 2018/2019. Indeed, half-yearly examinations for pupils in grades 4 to 6 of the primary cycle have been discontinued and replaced with continuous assessment as envisaged by the Learning Outcomes Framework. Pupils in the primary years sit for examinations at the end of the school year in grades 4 and 5.

Additionally, at the end of grade 6 (the end of the primary cycle), pupils sit for an End of Primary Benchmark assessment in Mathematics, Maltese and English through which each pupil’s attainment of competences against a national benchmark are measured. Schools in the church and independent sectors may opt for their pupils to sit for the Benchmark. Indeed, around 82% of the national grade 6 cohort sat for the Benchmark assessment in May 2019.

Records of pupil achievement from grade 1 to grade 5 are used to assess pupils’ progress rather than for selection purposes. At the end of the primary cycle, pupils in state primary schools move to secondary schools within their college network.

Secondary education (ISCED Levels 2 and 3)

After completing their primary education, students proceed to secondary education at eleven years of age. In Malta, secondary education is a five-year cycle and lasts till grade 11, this being the end of compulsory schooling.

As from school year 2013/2014, the secondary cycle in state schools consists of two separate phases: an initial two-year period in a Middle School followed by a three-year period in a Secondary School. Both phases in state schools are co-educational. Church schools, on the other hand, are single-sex institutions contrary to secondary schools within the Independent sector which are co-educational.

With the introduction of the state College Network system in Malta, all students attend the same middle and secondary school within their college where they are grouped by academic ability into different sets for the core subjects of Maltese, English and mathematics to receive the appropriate support in each subject. Students are in mixed ability classes and follow the same core curriculum for the other subjects.

Following the December 2017 agreement between the Government of Malta and the Malta Union of Teachers, the maximum class size in the secondary cycle has been decreased and is not to exceed 26 students. However, this number may go down to 25 or 24 depending on the set students are in, and may even be as low as 13 for classes with very low-ability students. Moreover, classes catering for subjects having a strong hands-on component or taught in a laboratory or workshop are not to exceed 16 students per class.

At secondary level students follow a set of core compulsory subjects including the three core subjects of Maltese, English and mathematics together with Integrated Science (for the first two years), Physics (during the final three years), a foreign language (either French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese or Arabic), Religious Knowledge/Ethics, Physical Education, History, Geography, Art, Personal, Social and Career Development (PSCD), Social Studies and ICT. At the end of the second year of secondary education students get to choose two elective subjects which are then followed during the final three years of secondary education.

As from school year 2018/2019, students in grades 7 and 8 are assessed through continuous assessments during the year and then sit for centrally-set annual exams at the end of the year. In school year 2019/2020, this continuous assessment was extended to grade 9 and will include grade 10 students in school year 2019/2020.

This change is part of the reform of the Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) examinations which most students sit for and which are set by the Matriculation and Secondary Education Certificate (MATSEC) Board of the University of Malta. The result of each SEC exam will no longer depend on a summative exam at the end of compulsory education but will be spread out over the last three years of secondary school.

Additionally, in the middle of grade 11, students sit for their final school examinations where the marks attained form part of the Secondary School Certificate and Profile. This certification presents a record of achievement based on the students’ profiling in formal, informal and non-formal educational experiences taking into account students’ attendance and development of personal qualities and abilities during the five years of secondary schooling. This certificate is recognised at Levels 1, 2 or 3 by the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) and the European Qualifications Framework for Lifelong Learning (EQF). A transcript with all the necessary details is also issued by the school in the form of a Blockcert.

Post-secondary general education (ISCED Level 3)

Post-secondary education is co-educational. Students can follow a programme of their choice after they have completed compulsory education and are 16 years of age and older. State general post-secondary education is provided at the GEM 16+ School, the G. Curmi Higher Secondary School, the Sir M. Refalo Sixth Form, Gozo and the Junior College.

GEM 16+ school

The GEM 16+ School is an educational learning programme giving students a second-chance at obtaining their SEC qualifications. The programme provides an opportunity for students to revise intensely in the core subjects in preparation for the SEC exams.  Students following this intensive programme are taught in small groups of not more than 16 students. The subjects that are offered are English, Maths and Maltese and a choice between Physics or Biology. Personal, Social and Career Development (PSCD), as well as Physical Education, are also an integral part of the learning programme.

Students attending the GEM16+ School also receive a stipend and grant.

G.Curmi Higher Secondary School (Malta) and Sir M. Refalo Higher Secondary School (Gozo)

These educational institutions offer academic courses aimed at achieving advanced or intermediate levels of the MATSEC examinations as well as revision courses at SEC level. Students who have completed the final year of secondary schooling are eligible to enrol in these institutions.

There are three courses on offer: the SEC Revision Intensive course (one-year duration), the Advanced/Intermediate SEC/O Single subject (AIO) course (two years duration) and the Matriculation Certificate (MC) Course (two years duration). Entry requirements depend on the course chosen.

The Junior College

The Junior College is a co-educational college which was established in 1995 under the responsibility of the University of Malta (UOM). Students at the Junior College follow a two-year course that prepares them for the Matriculation Certificate and which conforms to the University of Malta’s admission requirements.

Students study two subjects at Advanced Level, three at Intermediate Level and Systems of Knowledge, a compulsory subject. The entry requirements for Junior College are six passes in SEC or equivalent at grade 5 or better, which must include English, Mathematics, Maltese, Physics or Chemistry or Biology and any other two subjects. Students are requested to choose subjects that correspond to the entry requirements of the course they intend to follow at university.

Post-secondary vocational education and training

The two institutions offering post-secondary vocational education and training are the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) and the Institute of Tourism Studies​​ (ITS). Both institutions offer a wide range of full-time courses such as Foundation, Certificate and Diploma courses leading to Higher National Diploma level, Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree level. An extensive range of evening part-time courses are available to allow interested participants to further their studies in vocational areas even if already in employment. Currently both institutions also offer students the possibility to enrol in apprenticeship schemes.

Participation in all courses at VET institutions if free of charge for Maltese nationals. EU nationals possessing residency permits may attend courses for free but non-EU nationals pay annual fees accordingly.

Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST)

MCAST has six Institutes and the Gozo Centre. The institutes offer programmes in applied sciences, the creative arts, engineering and transport, business management and commerce, community services, and information and communication technology. Programmes are delivered from 08.00hrs to 16.30hrs for full-time courses.

Entry requirements set by MCAST vary according to the type of course chosen and its qualification level. Students must have completed their compulsory education and obtained the Secondary School Certificate and Profile (SSC&P). The higher the qualification applied for the higher the entry requirements. Within the vocational training system, students can progress from one level of qualification to a higher level course within the same vocational area.

For example, MQF Level 1 (Introductory Certificate) and MQF Level 2 (Foundation Certificate) are both preparatory courses with a clear vocational preference and which also allow students to further their studies at higher levels in their specific area. The curricula of all courses incorporate the key skills and competencies as stipulated by the level descriptors related to each qualification level.

Since 2006, MCAST has the legal authority to award its own vocational degrees. Certificates and diplomas are also conferred for home-grown courses as well as for foreign qualifications such as the Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC).

National Diploma and Higher National Diploma programmes are offered in most of the MCAST Institutes. These courses can be classified as ISCED Level 3, 4 or ISCED Level 5B. In September 2009, seven Bachelor’s Degree courses were launched in four MCAST Institutes. These have increased to forty Degree courses (MQF Level 6) as at academic year 2019/2020 together with eleven Master’s Degree courses at MQF Level 7.

Institute for Tourism Studies (ITS)

SEC passes are required for most courses, but entry requirements vary according to the chosen programme. Courses at ITS offer a broad introduction to all the sectors of the tourism and hospitality industry such as food preparation, beverage service, housekeeping and tour guiding. These are consolidated with a variety of subjects related to management concepts such as human resources management, finance, culture and marketing.

Students participate in industry through Local Industrial Trade Practice (LITP) and International Internship as part of the course content, the latter being a mandatory course requirement of the Higher National Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism Management programme of studies at MQF Level 5.

Students who obtain a Higher National Diploma (HND) are eligible to apply for a vocational degree and also to enrol into the second year at the University of Malta to read for a B.A. (Hons) in Tourism Studies. Otherwise, students may opt to follow one of the three Bachelor Degrees offered by ITS.

In May 2019, ITS announced its new academic affiliation with the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management (EAHM). This agreement will result in ITS launching its first ever Master’s Degree programme, as well as enhancing the academic programmes already available.

Depending on the type of course, successful students are awarded a certificate, diploma, higher diploma or a Bachelor’s Degree. Assessment is continuous through coursework, the keeping of a portfolio and tests or examinations.

Another institution offering courses in vocational training is Jobsplus, the national employment and training agency.

Tertiary education and postgraduate education

Tertiary education in Malta is provided mainly by the University of Malta which is an autonomous and self-governing body totally funded by the Government. The university structure has been reviewed according to the Bologna Process Framework which envisaged the establishment of the European Higher Education Area by 2010. The governing bodies of the university are the Council and the Senate.

To gain entry to university, candidates need to be in possession of two Advanced Level (Matriculation Certificate) subjects and four other subjects taken at Intermediate Level including Systems of Knowledge. They also need passes in the Secondary Education Certificate at grade 5 or better in Maltese, English Language and Mathematics. A non-Maltese candidate may offer his own language instead of Maltese.

Undergraduate day courses are free of charge and full-time registered students receive a maintenance grant to purchase course materials. Fees apply to part-time, evening courses, Master’s degrees and other postgraduate courses.

Currently the university hosts fourteen Faculties, eighteen Institutes and thirteen Centres. The University of Malta also has three Schools (namely the Doctoral School, that of Foundation Studies and that of the Performing Arts).

The campus is home to the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), an internationally-recognized centre for the training of specialists in international maritime law. The Institute provides suitably qualified candidates, particularly from developing countries, with high-level facilities for advanced training, study and research in international maritime law.

Tertiary education is also provided by the recently established American University of Malta and a number of private tuition centres which provide tertiary and/or higher education programmes through distance learning in collaboration with foreign universities. In recent years, government has encouraged the take-up of tertiary and post-graduate education both locally and abroad through various scholarship schemes.

Adult education

The  Directorate for Research, Lifelong Learning and Employability within the Ministry for Education and Employment offers the public the chance to apply for an array of courses in various localities throughout Malta and Gozo. There is a wide range of courses, ranging from academic subjects leading to MATSEC and SEC exams and ICT courses, to programmes that focus on developing skills in vocational subjects and crafts. There are also courses in cultural expression through the School of Art, Drama and Music, being held both in Malta and Gozo.

Furthermore, the University of the Third Age (U3E) provides programmes that are specially planned not only to impart information, but also to be intellectually challenging and to promote exchange of knowledge. The U3E is open to persons over 60 years of age. The U3E forms part of the University’s European Centre for Gerontology.

Home education

Under exceptional circumstances, a home tuition service may be provided to students following the mainstream curriculum who cannot attend school for a period of at least three consecutive weeks due to illness, injury, a medical condition, or other causes as long as the disease/condition is not contagious.

Home tuition is covered by the same legislation as mainstream education since it is an extension of compulsory schooling. The aim of this service is to provide continuous education covering the three core subjects of English, mathematics and Maltese. As soon as students are fit to attend school, this home tuition service is stopped.

When such a service is required, the school’s administration, with the parents/guardians’ consent, makes a referral to the National School Support Services (NSSS). The referral is supported by the appropriate medical certificates which indicate the illness, injury, medical condition or other causes and reasons that impede the student from attending school.

The NSSS have Standard Operation Procedures for home tuition to ensure quality and standard. An adult shall always be present when the teacher is providing home tutoring to the student, although not necessarily in the same room where the lesson is being held.

Home tuition teachers have the same qualifications as those of regular school teachers. Schools liaise with the home tuition teachers so that the same textbooks and lesson plans are used, together with the necessary teaching aids, to ensure a smooth transition back to school when the learners are well again.

If the student is fit to sit for examinations, s/he will undertake the same school exams they would have sat for if they had been at school. The home tuition teachers collect the exam papers from the student’s school, and examination conditions apply.