The Ministry for Education and Sport has stated that more students have finished compulsory education this year, with the rate of students finishing secondary school without attaining an MQF level dropping by 23% between 2023 and 2026.
The Education Ministry said on Monday that the Secondary School Qualification and Profile (SSQ&P) results for the 2025-2026 school year “confirm the continued progress being made in the Maltese education system, with more students gaining recognised qualifications and fewer students completing compulsory education without a level qualification.”
At the end of secondary school, students can obtain an MQF Level of 1, 2, or 3, with Level 3 being the highest qualification at this stage.
The Ministry issued on Monday that the number of students ending this scholastic year without any of these attained qualification levels has gone down nearly a quarter in comparison to 2023’s cohort of students. It said that this shows the positive impact of instated reforms, investments and support measures implemented in the education sector.
“This means that more students are achieving recognised academic standards and are being better prepared for the next step in their educational and professional journey,” the Ministry said.
This scholastic year, 75% of all Year 11 students finishing compulsory education achieved a level in the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) – a 5.5% increase over the previous scholastic year.
During this period, the number of students attaining an MQF Level 3 rose by 14%. The Education Ministry said that this shows the improvement in students’ academic performance.
The Minister for Education and Sport, Byron Camilleri, welcomed these results, noting that they confirm the progress being made within the national education system. He added that these figures offer positive indications on the country’s strategic direction in the education sector through the progress observed over recent years.
“When we see more students obtaining qualifications and fewer students completing compulsory education without a recognised certification, we are seeing the results of consistent work that places the student at the centre of every decision,” Minister Camilleri said.
He stated that these results did not come by chance, but are the fruit of all the work put in by educators, parents, professionals, and the sustained investment within the education system over the years.
The Minister for Education thanked all educators for their commitment. He stressed that the government will continue to invest in the education profession, curriculum, assessment methods, and student wellbeing so that more young people can have the necessary tools to succeed.
The Education Ministry concluded that these results build on the progress that Malta has made to address Early Leaving from Education and Training (ELET). Earlier this April, ELET statistics showed that Malta’s early school-leaving rate dropped to its lowest ever recorded rate and, for the first time, fell below the EU average ELET rate.