Malta’s early school leavers rate drops to 9.6% in 2024

Early school leavers rate has dropped to 9.6% in 2024, placing the country above the EU average, according to new data from Eurostat.

“Today’s result is much better than that of other countries such as Italy, Hungary, Denmark, Germany and Spain among other countries,” Education Minister Clifton Grima said on Wednesday.

In 2024, Malta had one of the EU’s highest shares of people with a low level of education. Prior to this, the government had launched a national strategy aimed at reducing the number of early school leavers.

The 76-page document launched in 2023 was created through a series of 200 meetings with students, families, teachers, and other stakeholders. A government spokesperson had told this newspaper that the strategy is creating a shift from compensatory measures to preventive measures to address early school leavers.

The Minister pointed out that, “in 2005, the early school leaving rate stood at 33%, dropping to 18% in 2012, and now reaching 9.6% in 2024.”

Compulsory education in Malta begins at age 5 and continues until age 16. It is managed by the Directorate for Quality and Standards in Education (DQSE) under the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation (MEYR). The full 11-year programme starts with six years of primary schooling.