Education in Malta

Annabelle Khalil | 03 May 2017

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Education in Malta is compulsory from the age of five to the age of sixteen and is structured in four stages: the pre-primary, primary, secondary and tertiary education. There are mainly two different types of schools in Malta, namely State Schools and Private Schools. 

Scholastic Year

The standard scholastic year in Malta runs from September to June with summer holidays lasting three months in summer. Other holidays which are enjoyed by the students are during Christmas and Easter time which last around two weeks long, as well as other public holidays. 

State Schools

Funded by the government, state schools are free for Maltese and EU nationals.  Third country nationals working in Malta also have the possibility to send their children to state schools, although this is a decision entirely at the discretion of the Ministry of Education.  

Found around Malta and Gozo, public schools are fully funded by the government, including transportation, books and other materials if needed. The cost incurred by parents in this case would be limited to that of the uniforms.  

Both state schools and most of the private schools in Malta follow the same curriculum provided by the government which mostly follows the British curriculum, whereby pupils study a number of subjects and have mid-years and final exams depending on the ages of the students. 

Having both English and Maltese as official languages of the country, both languages are spoken in each classroom. Some schools tend to prefer one language over the other so this is important to keep in mind when choosing a school for third country nationals pupils. 

Private Schools

On the other hand, private schools are at a cost which often depends on the school and age of the pupil. This also depends on the type of private schooling, which can either be Church Schools, Independent Schools and International Schools.

Tertiary Education in Malta

As for Tertiary Education, the University of Malta is one of the oldest universities in the Mediterranean and is the only state university in Malta. A number of foreign universities or institutions are also being set up in Malta. Tertiary education is also publicly funded and free for Maltese and EU nationals depending on the course chosen.


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