Early school leavers rate at 22.6%

Contrary to previous reports and statements which set the rate of early school leavers in Malta between 36% and 40%, the National Statistics Office (NSO) has put the figure at 22.6%.

This was revealed during the launch of the early school leaving strategy document by education minister Evarist Bartolo this afternoon. The consultation document which includes 32 recommendations, will then be adopted as an official strategy, following the convention of a national conference in May.

"The strategy must be agreed with all partners, including social, economic and educational partners," Bartolo said.

He explained that one of the main measures proposed by the document was the extension of vocational training in secondary schools.

"Our aim is to spread vocational education in secondary schools. We are in the process of evaluating the pilot project which is taking place in five schools, spreading over state, church and independent schools, which introduced a hands-on learning experience of engineering, Information Technology, hospitality and social care," Bartolo said.

Explaining that a number of students simply stay at home, another unidentified number of students is disengaged and uninterested in school.

"We have to combine traditional instruction with vocational subjects to generate interest among these students," bartolo said.  

Figures released by Eurostat last year showed that in Malta, the proportion of early school leavers stood at 33.5% in 2011, a full 20 percentage points above the 13.5% EU27 average.

Flanked by NSO director general Michael Pace Ross and education ministry permanent secretary James Calleja, Bartolo explained that although the figure has diminished, "the rate is still high and huge efforts are required to reach the target set by the Europe 2020 strategy."

Pace Ross noted that the NSO based its data on the indicator set by the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED). Persons between the ages of 18 and 24 whose highest level of education or training do not reach the ISCED criteria and are not in training or education in the four weeks preceding the survey are considered to be early leavers.

He added that the method used was changed in recent months and whereas students with five O levels were previously considered as early leavers, this has now changed.

The figure is now down to 22.6% from the official rate of 36.9% and Bartolo explained that the decrease was down to the change in the collection of data and the measures introduced over the last few years by the previous administrations.
The Maltese government is bound by the European Union's ten-year growth strategy, Europe 2020, to decrease the rate to 10% within the next seven years.

However, each country was allowed to set its own target and the previous administration had set its target at 29%, the highest among all EU member states.

The education ministry's permanent secretary, James Calleja, explained that that target had been now reached and said that following the consultation process the Maltese authorities would agree a new target with the EU commission.

Asked what target the government will set, Bartolo said: "We have to be ambitious and aim at reducing the figure as much as possible by 2020." However, he refused to be drawn into giving a definitive figure.

The minister also said that in summer, the government would embark on a headcount of how many fifth form students were continuing their post-secondary education or entering foundation courses, to identify the number of persons not in education, employment or training.

He said this would be done to tackle the problem in its infancy and shape a youth guarantee scheme, which addresses the problem.