Education in Malta

Introduction

I'd like to show you a text, based on one published by the Maltese government, written for parents who would like to send their children to a Maltese school.
I have made it a bit shorter and simpler than it originally is, but not much. 

I'd like you to read it for information about the different options people can choose from, for new vocabulary and to create an opportunity to present your own education system, maybe comparing it to the Maltese system.

Follow these stages:

Task 1 - Lead In

Click on the green button that says Education - Beautiful wordart. What do you think? Which 5 words are the most important to you? 

If you are in a group, compare your answers.

Task 2 - Reading

Click on the green button that says The simplified text. You can save or print this file but you can also find the same text at the bottom of this page - if you read it in Clilstore, it is easier to use a dictionary. If you are working in a group, you could decide who reads what and tell each other what you have found out.

Read the text

• for information: is it similar to your experience?
• for vocabulary: mostly about school life

and

• to help you prepare a presentation about your education system.

Task 3

Prepare your 5-minute presentation. The questions in the file Presentation Questions may be helpful: see the green button that says Presentation Questions.

Task 4

Use your own words and design: create your wordart about education - alone or in a small group. See the green button that says Your wordart - create one.

The British Council learning site has a unit on School vocabulary - see the green button below.

Here  you can find more questions about education.

Finally, the whole text of the Reading in Task 2

Types of schools in Malta

In Malta schools are divided into three categories: state schools, church schools and independent schools.

State schools are free to all students and can be found in all the main towns or villages in Malta and Gozo. Transport to and from school is also free, as are books and other school materials. Parents will, however, need to buy their children’s school uniform.

Both church schools and independent schools offer pre-primary to upper secondary education. Both types are regulated by the Ministry of Education..

As a rule, Church schools belong to the Catholic Church, and, thanks to an agreement with the government, do not charge school fees. The government covers salaries although parents will be asked to give an annual donation to help with school costs. School supplies and uniforms will need to be paid for by the parents.

International and other private schools

There are a good number of independent schools, and a fair number of international schools that care for foreigners in Malta. Parents pay school fees for these institutions and also need to buy school supplies, uniforms and pay for transport.

Specialist Schools

There are four special needs resource centres in Malta. These have specialist teachers as well as equipment and other resources for children with learning difficulties. The schools also help with the integration of children of all ages with special needs into mainstream schooling. 

Language

Since Malta is a bilingual country, both English and Maltese are spoken in the classroom and on the playground. Children in Malta speak at least two languages (many also speak Italian).

Although on paper both English and Maltese are spoken at school, different schools tend to favour one of the two languages.

In state schools, the main language of instruction is Maltese, except for English lessons. Maltese tends to be the favoured language outside classes too.

In private schools, lessons are in English, except for Maltese. Students will speak a mix of both English and Maltese outside class, depending on what language they speak at home or what their peers speak.

Some parents of children who are not Maltese choose for their children to opt out of Maltese lessons, although they are usually welcome to attend.

Curriculum

Malta’s education system is very highly rated. While international schools cater to a variety of curricula, Malta mostly follows the British curriculum: children study a wide range of subjects and have mid-year and final exams.

The educational system is structured in four stages: pre-primary (ages three to five), primary (ages five to 11), secondary (ages 11 to 18) and tertiary education. Attending school is compulsory up to the age of 16.

Homework

The homework workload can be rather high. Senior school children can have between one to two hours of homework every day.

Religion

The Catholic religion is taught in classes but religion is not a compulsory subject for non-nationals, whose parents can decide if you would like their child to attend religion lessons. If they decide to opt out, then the children can study or read in the library, for example.

Terms and holidays

The scholastic year runs from September to June. This means summer holidays last a long three months. Christmas and Easter holidays are around two weeks long and midterms are only about two days long. In addition to these breaks there are also a good number of public and religious holidays dotted throughout the year.