The publication of Malta's latest Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results should serve as a catalyst for serious national reflection. Beyond the statistics, the findings raise important questions about the effectiveness of our education system, the coherence of national policies and the extent to which we are genuinely preparing young people for the challenges of contemporary society.
The results are concerning. Only 52% of Maltese students achieved the minimum proficiency level in reading, while the corresponding figures were 56% in mathematics and 63% in science. Performance has deteriorated across all three areas when compared with the previous assessment cycle.
These findings cannot be dismissed as merely another set of international rankings. They reflect weaknesses in foundational competencies that have implications for educational progression, employability, social participation and Malta's long-term economic sustainability.
However, the debate surrounding educational underachievement must extend beyond schools and classrooms. It must also consider the broader economic and social policies that have shaped family life over the past decade.
Over successive years, Malta has actively pursued policies designed to increase labour-market participation, particularly among women. The introduction of free childcare in 2014 represented a significant development in this regard. It enabled more parents to enter or remain in employment, supported household incomes and contributed to economic growth. The policy has frequently been presented as an important economic and social achievement. Yet greater labour-market participation inevitably changes the organisation of family life. In households where both parents work, the demands of employment must be balanced against commuting, domestic responsibilities, childcare and the educational needs of children.
This is not an argument against working parents or the provision of free childcare. On the contrary, access to affordable childcare represents an important mechanism for promoting equal opportunities and supporting families. Nevertheless, it is essential to recognise that economic policies do not operate independently of social realities. When a national economic model actively encourages greater parental participation in employment, the structures supporting families must evolve accordingly.
It is therefore contradictory to celebrate increased labour-market participation while simultaneously placing greater emphasis on parental responsibility for educational outcomes without adequately considering the pressures experienced by working families.
Parents cannot be expected to operate within an increasingly demanding economic environment while being judged against expectations that may not adequately reflect contemporary family circumstances.
The issue is not whether parents should participate in their children's education. They unquestionably should. The issue is whether national policies provide them with the time, resources and institutional support necessary to do so effectively.
Parental engagement plays an important role in children's educational development. Reading at home, encouraging curiosity, supporting learning and maintaining constructive communication with schools can contribute positively to educational achievement.
However, the relationship between parental involvement and academic performance is complex as socioeconomic circumstances, educational background, working conditions, access to resources and the quality of school provision all influence children's learning experiences. It would therefore be simplistic to attribute declining educational attainment primarily to insufficient parental involvement. And, more importantly, such an approach risks shifting attention away from the institutions responsible for designing, implementing and evaluating educational provision.
Parents do not determine national curriculum frameworks. They do not establish assessment policies, allocate educational resources or develop national strategies for literacy and numeracy. These responsibilities lie within the education system and its governance structures.
The PISA findings should consequently prompt detailed scrutiny of curriculum effectiveness, teaching methodologies, assessment practices, educational leadership and the adequacy of interventions for students experiencing learning difficulties.
Parental involvement should complement an effective education system, not compensate for weaknesses within it.
Ultimately, Malta must confront an uncomfortable truth: a country cannot pursue economic growth as its overriding national priority and then expect families and schools to absorb the social and educational consequences of that model without adequate support. Economic progress and educational development should be mutually reinforcing objectives, not competing priorities. An economy that depends increasingly on the participation of both parents in the workforce must be accompanied by an education system and a family-support framework capable of responding to that reality.
More importantly, educational underachievement cannot become an exercise in shifting responsibility. It is neither credible nor constructive to celebrate policies that have transformed the structure of family life while subsequently suggesting that parents bear the principal responsibility when educational outcomes fall short of expectations. Accountability must begin with those who formulate national policies, determine educational priorities and control the resources through which those priorities are implemented.
Malta does not need another round of explanations that conveniently redistribute responsibility away from policymakers. It needs an honest evaluation of whether its economic ambitions have been matched by an equally ambitious commitment to educational quality, social investment and the well-being of children.
The real measure of national progress cannot be confined to employment statistics, economic growth or increased labour-market participation. It must also be reflected in the knowledge, competencies and opportunities of the generation that will inherit the consequences of today's decisions.
The fundamental question is therefore not whether parents are doing enough for education, but whether the State is doing enough for the children and families whose lives its policies have helped to shape. Until that question is confronted with seriousness, honesty and political accountability, Malta risks celebrating economic success while overlooking an educational failure that will ultimately undermine the very prosperity it seeks to sustain.
Dr De Giovanni is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist