Organisation of Private Education

Private education is provided by the Catholic Church and private independent schools. Church schools are single-sex schools while most of the private independent schools are co-educational. Church schools do not charge tuition fees as they are grant-aided schools although parents may give donations to help the schools cover expenses. The government also allocates an extra 10% of funds for administrative fees to these schools. Independent schools, most of which are run by a parents’ foundation, charge tuition fees. The State grants tax rebates to parents on these tuition fees however as from September 2018 school transport is being provided for free by the State for students attending both church and independent schools.  Private schools follow the National Curriculum Framework (NCF) as well as the National Minimum Conditions Regulations (NCMR).

At the lower secondary level, schools in the private sector provide general education. Independent schools at lower secondary level generally have two levels: a middle school and a senior school housed in the same premises and covering the five years of lower secondary education. Four private schools also provide a general upper secondary education. Church and independent upper secondary institutions are co-educational. There is no private provision for vocational upper secondary education. Approximately 40% of Malta’s primary and secondary school students are enrolled in private schools.

There are no private special schools since they follow an inclusive education policy. Some private independent schools are organised differently from state schools, where the educational cycle is divided into three levels, i.e. Early School (from 2 to 7 years), Middle School (from 8 to 11 years) and Senior School (from 11 to 16 years). The school year and school time more or less follow that of state schools. Teachers need to have the same minimum qualifications as those stipulated for teachers in state schools. Private schools are also subject to monitoring by the Quality Assurance Department within DQSE.