Labour highlights schoolchildren literacy problems

Malta placed 38th out of 49 countries in the 2011 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), Labour MPs Evarist Bartolo and Owen Bonnici said today.

The MPs said the report confirmed a series of shortcomings in the Maltese educational system. They added that Maltese schoolchildren scored below average in almost all areas, including reading achievement and reading behaviours and attitudes.

They also called on the authorities to publish the report and hold an analysis and public debate on the results, involving all stakeholders, including parents and teachers.

Bartolo pointed out that Labour "believes that Maltese students can achieve better results."

He went on to explain that the report is an international comparative study of the reading literacy of 10-year old students in 49 educational systems. Bartolo noted that Malta was grouped in the bottom 12 countries together with Trinidad & Tobago, Azerbaijan, Iran, Columbia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Qatar, Oman and Morocco.

Hong Kong, Russia, Finland, Singapore and Northern Ireland topped the list.

Evarist Bartolo said that while some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, which invest more money in education fared worse then Malta, countries such as Poland who invest less scored better then Malta.

"The PIRLS report not only gives clear indications on the reading abilities of schoolchildren but also gives a clear picture of school management, the teacher's abilities, resources and materials available and parents' perception of their children's' reading abilities," Bartolo said.

The MP added that more resources must be made available in schools and households to aid students who are struggling with reading. Bartolo hit out at the government's decision to reduce the allocated funds for literacy initiatives by 43%.

Owen Bonnici said that while the investment in education was delivering improved results, but it was not enough in terms of students furthering their studies.

"The primary and secondary levels mustbe strengthened in order to achieve better results post-secondary and tertiary levels," Bonnici said.

The report shows that female pupils scored better then male students and children who spoke English before attending school fared better then ones who did not.

Maltese parents also have lower expectations then foreign parents with only 13% expecting their children to achieve a post-graduate degree, while 25% expect their children to attend University. 29% of Maltese parents expect their children to only reach secondary-level education and 33% expect their children to complete secondary education.  

45% of Maltese children who had reading and writing skills before starting school scored better while students who have a library at school scored better too.