There were 848 students who repeated a year and still received a stipend this year, according to data tabled in parliament.

In his reply to PL MP Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo said this had cost the government €598,082

In 2013 the government introduced changes that allowed students to receive stipends when they repeated a year.

Last year’s was the lowest number of repeaters in the last five years.

In the 2015/16 scholastic year, 976 repeating students received €736,728 collectively in stipends.

In the previous year there were 1,031 students repeating a year. Between them they were given €702,320 in stipends.

The 2013/14 scholastic year saw 1,043 students repeating the year and receiving stipends costing the state €421,774.

Stipends for repeating students are not given automatically; each student’s performance is reviewed and a decision will be based on effort. Students falling short of acceptable standards in the previous scholastic year, such as those not attending class or not sitting for examinations, will not be eligible for a stipend in their repeating year.