Disabled students have a lower level of education and literacy than the rest of the population, which is why a review of the support system is being recommended.
Such a recommendation is made in the consultation document An Early School Leaving Strategy For Malta that aims to reduce the rate of early school leavers, which stands at 22.6 per cent.
The report lists various recommendations, such as the need to set up structures to ensure that students in need of help are identified at an early stage. It looks into what may be pushing students to leave school at an early stage and suggests ways of addressing the situation. The report speaks about spreading vocational education in secondary schools.
In a section dedicated to disabled students, the report quotes research published in 2010 that points out that the average illiteracy rate among disabled people stood at 23.5 per cent, a high rate when compared to the six per cent figure in the case of the non-disabled population.
The study also points out that the number of disabled people who attended post-secondary and University levels consisted of just 0.9 per cent of the general student population.
It notes that, although there has been progress in the sector over the past years – when disabled students have increasingly become integrated into mainstream schooling – more can be done to improve the situation.
“One of the key issues that impacts the progression of persons with disability in participating in further education and vocational training is the fact that the inclusive education support system targets only disabled students in compulsory education,” the report says.
It recommends a review of the support programmes across compulsory education and higher and tertiary education with the aim to raise the percentage of disabled students who obtain accreditation and certification.
It also proposes that the Education Ministry and the National Council Persons with Disability work together to design intervention measures to make education more accessible across the board.