96% Of Students Feel Malta’s Government Is Not Doing Enough For Education, University Survey Finds
96% of students participating in a KSU survey feel that the government is not doing enough to improve the education system in Malta.
KSU has just finalised the Education Reform Policy Paper, which is based on data collected in a survey filled by 664 people.
The survey focused on responses from students, educators, and parents, as well as highlighting what people with disability think about the university’s current system.
Around 86% of educators expressed that they are not satisfied with the current system, with 84% feeling reform fatigue.
75% of respondents with disability expressed that they do not feel included within their school, with just 16% of physically mentally impaired respondents feeling like their school catered for their needs in their respective schools.
For these issues, KSU proposed that educators are given a more competitive salary, a professional development grant, quality classrooms and fringe benefits, in the hopes of this promoting respect for the profession.
A very low 5% of student respondents expressed that the Maltese education system prepares them for everyday life.
And to counter this, 99.9% of students wish to be taught financial literacy coding and other non-traditional skills that one needs during everyday life.
To deal with this, KSU is proposing that students are offered a more flexible approach to education, which would make space for multiple areas of study combined with non-traditional skills.
75% of respondents with disability expressed that they do not feel included within their school, with just 16% of physically mentally impaired respondents feeling like their school catered for their needs in their respective schools.
Parents also conveyed that they would like to be more involved in their children’s educational journey, with 90% of respondents expressing this.
KSU explained how the essence of the proposal is three-fold: autonomy, collegiality, and inclusion.
“Education is the nurture aspect in people’s development. What and how we learn in school is what makes us think the way we do. It is the time in our life when our sole purpose is to learn and develop. Unfortunately, the current system leaves a lot to be desired and its consequences can be felt across the board. At KSU we felt that it is our duty to advocate for a different system, a better system,” KSU expressed.
This comes just days after Free Hour released a survey which found that Malta’s education system is failing to prepare students for the real world.
The reasons behind the current situation are vast, however, many point fingers at a rigid syllabus and curriculum that fails to foster long-term learning and retention among its students.
Malta’s educational system needs major reform. However, not much has been done. Rather, concerns continue to grow, particularly following the firing of Headmaster Mario Mallia.
Other surveys have also found that almost 70% of young people want to leave the island, hinting at a potential brain drain in the coming years.
It was also recently announced that the University of Malta has just undergone a significant budget cut, which further reflects where the government’s priorities lay.
What do you make of these statistics?
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