More than 300 16-year-olds “disappear” every year from school and employment records, falling into idleness or the black economy, according to a recent report.
The vanishing fifth formers do not enter training or legal employment after finishing mandatory schooling. They do not apply for social benefits or register as unemployed, leaving an unexplained black hole in the labour market that has education authorities scratching their heads in search of the ‘missing’ youths.
Asked about this phenomenon, Education Minister Evarist Bartolo told Times of Malta he believed the teenagers were either living idle lives as dependants on their parents or were forming part of the black economy.
“It is very difficult to keep tabs on these students once they leave school and do not continue their studies. It is like they disappear. Many of them would not have even sat for their O levels.
“They will either be at home sleeping till 11 in the morning, stuck on their computers living a virtual life or working off the books somewhere,” he said.
They will either be at home sleeping till 11in the morning, stuck on their computers living a virtual life or working off the books somewhere
The internal government report on attendance and qualifications, seen by this newspaper, found that 600 students – 14 per cent of all fifth formers – did not continue with their studies at the end of their mandatory schooling last May. Of these, half had legally joined the workforce but the other half had gone off the radar.
The figures tally with an EU report published last year, which found that Malta had among the lowest rates of students deciding to continue their studies.
Interestingly, the sister isle fared better, with about 10 per cent more fifth formers furthering their studies.
Other unpublished data collected by the National Commission for Further and Higher Education, also seen by this newspaper, indicates that the problem continued after students had enrolled in postsecondary institutions.
Last year, 3,700 16-year-olds decided to continue their studies after leaving school but, within a couple of months, 1,620 had dropped out. A third of these also disappeared from the system.
Mr Bartolo said the problem had not been observed in the past because data on student enrolment was routinely analysed while competition figures on how many were finishing courses were often left on the shelf.
Asked what was being done about the situation, he said the government was drafting a four-year plan to tackle the problem and see the number of students furthering their studies increase to close to 100 from 86 per cent.
This, he said, had already been partly implemented and had seen the introduction of more career guidance officers in State schools as well as care and social workers.
Acknowledging that part of the problem was the school system itself, Mr Bartolo said the government was working on alternative programmes to provide “non-traditional” avenues for youths who were less academically inclined.
These, he added, included the newly launched Alternative Learning Programme that was targeting truant students and those who had chosen not to sit for their O levels.