There were 69,838 students in formal education during academic year 2012/2013, at par with previous year levels. Men slightly exceeded women, the National Statistics Office said.

It said state-run institutions housed 70.1 per cent of total enrolments, while students attending Church and independent schools numbered 15,533 and 5,351, respectively.

Female students in tertiary education outnumbered males, and comprised 55.5 per cent of total tertiary students.

Total students enrolled in mandatory education stood at 46,376. Of these, 23,655 attended primary school, while 22,721 attended secondary school.

In spite of an increase in total enrollments, students attending secondary schools dropped by 3.5 per cent over the previous academic year.

The average class size at primary level was lowest in state schools, followed by independent and Church schools. On the other hand, secondary level classes at independent schools were the smallest.

A total 4.3 per cent of total students enrolled in formal education, an increase of 0.6 over the previous year, were foreigners. The highest proportion of foreign students was noted in tertiary education (5.9 per cent), while the largest increase (1.3 per cent) in post-secondary vocational institutions.

The majority of foreign students were EU nationals.

The most popular field of study among tertiary students was social sciences, business and law (33.5 per cent), followed by health and welfare (16.2 per cent) and science (14.8 per cent).

Engineering and science were mostly popular among male students, while females had a stronger presence in education, and health and welfare.