The level of academic education in Malta is progressing fast, according to statistics issued yesterday in Brussels.
The percentage of people aged 30 to 34 years having a tertiary level of education rose from nine per cent of the population to 26 per cent last year, a threefold growth in just over 11 years.
The leap is the second highest in the EU, where the level of education in is still generally higher.
Eurostat’s data also shows that there are many more female graduates than men in Malta, a trend that has B present for years.
Last year, 29 per cent of those aged 30 - 34 years and having a degree were women. Among men of the same age, the percentage stood at 23 per cent.
Compared to the rest of the EU, Malta is still among the laggards.
The average amount of graduates in the EU last year stood at 36.8 per cent, 10 per cent higher than in Malta.
The highest percentages of those in the 30 – 34-year cohort who completed tertiary education were posted in Ireland (52.6 per cent), Luxembourg (52.5 per cent), Lithuania (51.3 per cent) and Sweden (48.3 per cent).
On the other hand, Italy had the lowest count of graduates (22.4 per cent), followed by Romania (22.8 per cent), Croatia (25.9 per cent) and Malta. EU member states are bound to increase the number of graduates to at least 40 per cent by the end of the decade. Targets vary between one member State and another, taking into consideration the starting point in 2002.
In Malta’s case, the 2020 target is 33 per cent and the island looks set to reaching it if the level of growth registered in the past years continues with the same rhythm.
On the other hand, although progress has been registered in reducing the number of early school leavers, it seems that Malta’s task of reaching a 10 per cent target will be a harder nut to crack.
Just under 21 per cent of the population aged 18-24 years had a lower secondary level of education and were not receiving any education or training. In 2002, the percentage was much higher at 33 per cent.
Still, the situation in Malta last year placed the island in the penultimate position among the 28 member states with only Spain faring worst.
In general, the proportion of early school leavers dropped all over the EU when compared to 2005, with the exception of Poland and Spain.
The lowest proportions in 2013 were seen in Croatia (3.7 per cent), Slovenia (3.9 per cent) and the Czech Republic (5.4 per cent).
The highest were registered in Spain (23.5 per cent), Malta (20.9 per cent and Portugal (19.2 per cent).